


Fate Won't Enslave Me

by Jeyawue



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Brutality, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Hacking, Love/Hate, Not Beta Read, Post-Fall of Overwatch, Reader has some of Sombras abilities, Red String of Fate, Slow Burn, Team Talon (Overwatch)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:46:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 41,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23955568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeyawue/pseuds/Jeyawue
Summary: In this world were people living in different kinds of relationships. Humans, omnics and other creatures that existed against the odds of nature. However, the bond of the red string of fate was the strongest of them all. It connected one with their soul mate and the partner who you were made for, the same way they were made for you. It appeared on your little finger once you were near your destined partner, only visible for the both of you and leading the way.Some people wait a long time until the thin glowing thread appears... Some people never get one at all. Some didn't need a soul mate to live a happy life.And so you never really spend much thought on it. You would deal with it when it appeared... Even if that day would never come.
Relationships: Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Reader
Comments: 112
Kudos: 260





	1. Chapter 1

  


You tried to calm your thoughts with deep but quiet breaths as your dropship came closer to its destination. 

This was the beginning of the real thing: Your first mission against fleshy and metallic enemies, outside of the comfort of your laptop. You were a hacker, an informant- And now you would face a real fight for the first time in years since your childhood. Yes, it was very unusual for a 'techy' to join a mission outside, but your skills were in need for the situation at hand. Talon used their environment and mechanisms in their surroundings worryingly efficiently that they hoped you would be able to do the same... Otherwise they would just constantly be bugged by all the little things 'Sombra' did to ruin their day. 

Honestly, you weren't made at all for a job outside... You mostly sat behind computers, machinery and even more machinery. It was thrilling joining the good guys in an official fight, but you were also very nervous... After all were you leaving the known place of your normal battle position: Safely in your room.  
Well. As safe as one can be drawing the wrath of multiple organizations upon you with hacks and information leaks. Destroying the peace of these so powerful people always brought a wicked grin to your face. 

Even when coming along wouldn't you fight Talon soldiers now as openly as the other of your squad of course: With your self invented camo device were you able to turn invisible. A huge advantage when one would be sneaking alone around dangerous places like you.  
Your favorite flickblade was option number two if it came down to fights but that wouldn't really overpower gunned soldiers. Still, it gave you somewhat of an additional comfort to not be completely defenseless. You also loved flicking the handle which was disguised as a bulky non-working lighter when you were nervous like now, but that was besides the point. 

You didn't have a gun because as hacker you lacked the training for aim and reloading speed. And your lack of muscles basically made any gun meet your face painfully by the knock back- Or at least shook your whole body which was just frustrating.  
Not to mention your embarrassment and the amusement for anyone who watched your struggle. -So your years of wielding a blade just naturally made you feel a lot safer, sticking to what you knew. 

...Besides didn't you expect to get caught anyways.  
At least you wouldn't try to. 

Even in the briefing had it been made clear that your job was mainly to help out troubled team members, use the environmental mechanisms and counter the enemies 'Sombra' as much as possible.  
'Who is Sombra?', was a famous question and headlines that often appeared in the news. There wasn't much that you knew either... They were really good with covering their tracks and obviously much more skilled than you. But that was to be expected of a group of hackers that worked together for Talon. And definitely when they were more than just a single person like you. Still, you would do your best in this mission...

"Don't worry, Mädchen, everything will turn out fine."  
Your head snapped out by the sudden words towards you and your eyes meet the reassuring smile of Reinhardt, who hadn't equipped his helmet yet.  
"Stick to the plan, but be ready to adapt if needed.", 'Pharah' added with a sinister but calm voice to which you nodded with a small smile. 

You reached the secured building without any noteworthy events, just some guards which didn't hide how _pleased_ they were to have you here. Overwatch was dead and useless for the world but you and others begged to differ after the rebuilding of the once strongest force in the world. Your team was here to protect and help but they clearly thought of you as a joke, even when an attack from Talon would be far from any positive entertainment.  
Currently where you, Pharah, Reinhardt and a few other agents following a security guard through the outer parts of the facility while they rambled about your doing. 

"So, who exactly gave you the tip that Talon would show up here?"  
  
"Me.", You said with a strained voice, trying to hide your annoyance, "I found the info during a data leak." If this asshole thought you would gift him with the insight that you were the one responsible for the leak and hack then he was wrong. The broad man didn't even turn to you as he kept leading your troop through the area. 

"Mhm, and who of the heroic Overwatch was convinced that we are defenseless?" 

Reinhardt shot you a quick glance and even below his helmet you knew that he tried to remind you to keep a calm head. You bit your lips, but apparently had his question been rhetorical.  
  
"We have many of the best guards in the country, trained in the military and from the war. Our technology and information are secured behind countless high standard turrets and walls with a width of..." 

Rolling your eyes, you blend out the bragging voice of the guard and created a small holo display with a flick of your special gloves. Of course didn't they give your team a grounplan of the facility but you had easily gotten your hands on it anyway.  
It was zoomed in enough that the cameras on your way wouldn't recognize the information leak and this security officer seemed incapable anyways.  
With your gloved finger you swiped through the plan of the structure, thinking which ways the enemies would be more likely to use as well as the technology in those areas which could be beneficial.  
...Now you felt it again, the nervous feeling before the fight even when there was the small chance that Talon wouldn't show up at all. A much likely scenario if they found out about the data leak. Overwatch couldn't be sure and it was better to be save than sorry.  
When you shifted your attention back to the people walking besides you, you noticed how Pharah now was eagerly in a conversation with the guard about turret and rocket systems that were part of the defense.

You were relieved when you finally reached the place where a possible attack would most likely be executed from and that that stupid guard left you alone. Sure, you were just in the outer parts of the buildings with access to the outside, all doors locked up and cameras watching you but thank god was your team able to prepare now. 

The team automatically created a circle and Pharah activated her holopad to display the ground plan you had sent her earlier. You tried your best to not feel out of place, standing between all these heavy armored people and stared at it. 

"A quick refresh of our briefing: I will find a high position outside to keep watch over the environment and nearing enemies, the beta group shall follow me and stay here and here.",she said with a motion of her gauntlet, pointing at the hologram. "The turrets have been programmed to not harm us, but in case Talon hacks them we will be still out of line of sight. Reinhardt will guard this area here with team alpha."  
"I will be your shield!", the mentioned crusader commented. 

"As for our new operation member..." Several heads turned in your direction and you did your best to keep a straight face. "You will stay close by and help out any way you can. Feel free to patrol around with your camo technology. We count on you."  
You nodded.  
Pharah took a look in the round before speaking up again, "Everything clear then soldiers? Withdraw to your positions!"  
The answer was an enthusiastic yell of the whole team:"Yes, Captain!!" 

It's been roughly three hours since you and your team split up and so far had everything been silent.  
In your comlink were a few agents exchanging stories while keeping watch on the outside. Usually this would have been a big no-go at any other military force but Overwatch was more... Family-ish in a way.  
They had been on missions for a while and knew that despite their smalltalk they were guarding and watching at their best abilities. You were the only odd one out, even when nobody tried to make you feel that way. Even when they accepted you with open arms.  
  
Sighing, you just halfly listened to the conversations in your ear and swiped through your holoscreens. 

After some time of invisible wandering the facility you had taken a seat here, at a small group of chairs and table, somewhat of a little waiting room in front of an office. The anticipation that had filled you to the brim at the beginning had moved over the hours lower towards your stomach in an uncomfortable knot.  
Sure, you were invisible and if nothing was gonna happen it was even better, right?  
Just... Not knowing if and when was really a weird feeling, now that you were part of a battle outside of your room.  
You would have to ask some of your teammates later how they felt during the wait of an upcoming battle... Maybe they had tips and tricks to soothe the mind. 

_"-And she was like: 'Can you see it too?' When our fingers were clearly connected by a red-"_

_"Here Beta:41, detecting movement in south."_

  


The sudden interruption in your com made your head snap upwards, then to the next window to take a glance at the outside. The sun had settled long ago and only lanterns were brightening the darkness with a cold light. It was like you could feel the silent tension from your teammates through your comlink. 

  


_"Acknowledged, keeping an eye on it."_

  


You quickly shut off your holo display, something that wasn't turning invisible with you, and stood up to change your position. Slowly settled into a jogging pace you let your thoughts wander...  
'Movement'... That meant they only got a glimpse of something moving, obviously.  
It could be an animal... It could be a trick of the eye... Or it could be the terror organization that planned to come here today.  
As thrilling as it was to be with Overwatch on a mission was the reality of the situation slowly kicking in once more. You knew what you signed up for, but it was still human to feel tense and yes: A little scared too.

_"It's Talon! Repeat: Talon sighted in south!"_

The message slowed you down a little, the knot in your stomach uncomfortable strong now as you checked your holo in a windowless hallway quickly again for the groundplan. The same time your eyes saw a few turrets activating filled suddenly a stable rhythm of shots the silence, making you twitch in surprise.  
Through the com were teammates now starting to warn and inform the other, but your focus was on your holopad right now. With some clicks of your tech-gloves were you about to check the status of the turrets as they suddenly went silent, only shots from people audible which lacked the constant rythtm.  
At the some moment popped an error message to your screen and you bit your lip from your tension. You didn't expect them to work that quickly! 

The holodisplay blipped out of existence again as you started running towards the nearest turret, outside and approaching enemies, to check if it was damaged by weapons or technology. If it was the latter than the chance was great that you could reactivate them.  
The feeling in your stomach tightened as you made your way closer towards the Talon soldiers, listening in your com for messages that would also benefit you, but it was mostly just info about shield placements, directions and so on. You silently reminded yourself that you would be okay, being invisible and all when you weren't sure anymore if your stomach was really feeling like this because of the starting battle or if you were actually becoming sick.  
It was just such a weird feeling, feeling like something important was about to happen. 

But you weren't a fortune cookie or prophet, neither did you really believe in those things as you made your way forward, finally close to an exit. The facility hadn't unlocked all doors, of course, but you could easily go around them with your equipment. It felt like your fingers were already prickeling in anticipation of hacking the door you ran towards. 

But when you halted in front of it and lifted your hand you froze completely. 

The voices in your ear felt suddenly so far away as you saw why exactly your fingers had this tingling sensation and your stomach was acting up. Out of all times and places, all opportunities - It had to happen here.  
  
You just couldn't help but stare at the red string that had appeared around your little finger and was hanging slack to the ground, yet unmistakably leading outside towards the sound of war.


	2. Chapter 2

You were standing there like frozen, the sound of bullets and barked commands only ringing dull inside your ear. There was nothing that ripped you away from staring at the red string that had appeared around your little finger, the tingling sensation slowly fading, although replaced by a numb feeling in your whole body. The existence of it was common knowledge, yet was it your first time seeing it.  
Out of all times, all places, had this dramatic fate shit to appear now- And most certainly connect you with an enemy!  
Who else could it be when you had met your whole team just a few hours ago!?  
Would your soul mate gun, slice or use whatever weapon they had on you? So much to your adventage of being invisible... 

\- Wait how did the string even look like if you were out of view? Would it be the same for-?  
Explosives donated loud at the outside- must be Pharahs rockets- They tore you out of your moveless state and made you whip around to start running. 

A mirror! You needed a mirror right now! 

Your feet carried you quickly along the hallway to search for a bathroom or other mirror, before you stumbled upon a a wall framed with windows. This would work just as good if you created a light to reflect in the glas.  
Summoning bright little holograms behind you, you turned and moved around in front of the window but there was nothing to see, no reflection at all- Neither the string on your finger...  
You felt your beating hard ease a little at that discovery. 

With a flick of your fingers the holos vanished again before you covered your eyes with them and exhaled deeply.  
You hadn't noticed how much your breathing had picked up now you were slowly steadying your lungs again, even when the air still left you as irritated puffs.

There was nothing to worry about- You were safe and they wouldn't find you.  
Why out of all times would this bullshit happen now... The past years you haven't spent a single thoughts on finding a partner, yet here 'fate' found you the perfect match. 

In a warzone. Thank-fucking-perfect. 

_"Y/n! Some turrets seem to be damaged, check them out!!_ ", Pharah suddenly yelled in your ear and you felt yourself cringe at the guilt that you almost forgot your job here. Even when this had been your initial plan all along... 

"Already on my way.", you replied- And while that was half lied wouldn't you have to tell her about the red string. At least not now. There was no way you would reveal that over the intercom for everyone to hear- That your soul mate just appeared and was probably part of Talon.  
You jogged back towards the door as an absurd dialogue played in your head:

_'Welcome back, honey! How was work?'  
'Oh, the usual. Murdering a few citizen and stealing technology. The usual global terrorist stuff.'  
'Ah, I'm glad!'_

You made a grimace and hacked the mechanical door with a stressed huff, before inhaling the cool night air as the metal parts slid open.  
While a red thread showed you an optional partner was there no reason to actually go with them. People could be happy without them. And you surely wouldn't fall for a terrorist, string of bullshittery or not. 

The sound of fighting was near as you made your way towards one of the turrets.  
You held your breath as you spotted some Talon troops taking cover behind a hover car near your position and in your way. Bullets flew and deflected from the metallic surface while the soldiers duck out of their safety to fire at your team members, which were still out of your sight.  
Barking some commands alongside the heavy noise of the bullet rain, the red-black terrorists suddenly sprinted into your direction and startled you with the unexpected charge. Apparently was this small group trying a different approach against your team that made them ran past you alongside the wall of the building. For a moment you thought they had somehow noticed you.  
You thanked yourself silently a hundred times for inventing the camouflage device with a nervous exhale once they brought some distance between you. 

"A small troup of Talon heads to the west side of the building.",you informed your team with a breathy whisper through the comlink, the strain in your voice very audible. Reinhardt expressed his thanks through the communicator and lead his team while you approached once again one of the giant turrets at the outside of the building. Of course you had also checked if your red string had been connected with one of the terrorists that just ran past you, but that was besides the point.

...

... You sighed. No, your soulmate hadn't been one of them. 

The red thread was still leading to the main battle, somewhere in the direction where the beta team and Pharah was... But it really couldn't be one of them. Your 'perfect match' had to be one of the attackers, but you could just couldn't believe-  
You shook your head. No, focus on your task, goddammit! 

Gifting the machine with a second glare, your brows knit together and gave a small groan. 

Yeah, okay. 

There was no need to check what kind of damage had been done to the turret when parts of it laid broken on the floor. You didn't need an expert to see that this hadn't been the work of a hacker, thank you very much. The small Talon group must have done this, you think you got for a short moment a glance of one of them handling a bigger weapon which could manhandle such a machine with ease. So much to the guards words of "we have tha best technology evah".  
Just now you noticed the body of one of the facility guards close to it, the sight making you bite your lips. As orphan that survived on their own during the omnic crisis were you used to the sights and sounds of war... But that didn't mean the view was ever something you were comfortable with. It was not like you got all weak and wobbly like some emotional actor from a movie but you weren't just 'okay' with seeing dead bodies either. It was... More complicated. Just a small tug at your chest, before you averted your gaze and once again spoke inside your communicator:

  


"Turret:9 has been taken apart, irreparable damage. Making my way to the other now."

_"Urgh, understood, Y/n."_

"...There has been also taken care of a guard, assuming that they left their positions-",you added and instantly felt the hiss in Pharahs voice. 

_"There were supposed to retreat to the inner rooms! Damnit, they don't trust us at all!"_

  


Well... There were barely any people left that still believed in the heroes of old times after they had been shut down, but you didn't comment it. Besides was any official activity of Overwatch against the law. They were basically criminals for protecting people right now. For helping.  
Politics were just a pile of restrictions and false promises... Even when a government and rules were necessary. Without them would any empire fall into chaos at some point. 

Focusing your thoughts, you quickly searched the dead body of the guard.  
Bingo! A small communicator.  
You started jogging to the next machines which were also close to some of your teammates; You would drop it off for team beta so Pharah had a chance to talk to the facility employees. It wouldn't be good for anyone to run into each other and get startled.  
-Or open fire at a glimpse of movement that might be on the same side.  
It really was troublesome to protect people who openly rejected to work with you. If they had given you a com in the first place then maybe the man wouldn't have to die. 

When you reached the beta group, you made sure to walk behind them and out of their aligned guns at the enemy before announcing your presence; You wouldn't want them to startle and accidentally shot at you.  
"Y/n here-" Just when you began your sentence several heads snapped in your direction and making even two of your teammates jump. So much for not surprising them. You turned off your camouflage and instantly felt the tension to relieve. They faced forward again, training their eyes on the enemies in the front distance and despite the still ongoing fight you felt yourself grin at their reactions. 

"Don't worry, I'm harmless," 

A blonde agent was still looking towards you and although he rolled his eyes was the little smile on his face very visible. Your mimic hardened again when the red string around you finger caught your attention once more: It was clearly leading towards the troops roughly 100 meters away that exchanged fire with your team, although most bullets were caught by some of the shields they had deployed to the ground. Hastily, you gave the man in front of you the guards communicator so you could make yourself invisible again.  
"Give this to Pharah." Said woman was currently in the air high above with her jetpack, firing rockets at Talons position, "I'll take a look at the tech."  
He nodded and unceremonally turned again to the fight.

  


The temptation to observe the gunfire and maybe catch a glimpse of your soulmate was strong so very strong, but here were far greater things at risk than just satisfying your curiosity. Taking a deep breath to collect your thoughts you headed in the opposite direction of the ongoing battle to turn your undivided attention towards the near turret inside the wall.  
This one definitely had been unharmed by any physical damage and with a few swipes of your gloves you summoned holograms to review its status. You gnawed at your bottom lip at the sight of the hack that had disabled the machine, but even so you were relieved that it had merely been blocked from firing than turned against the Overwatch force- Despite that being a far more complicated task that would be very unlikely in such a short time. Still, you were glad Pharah had positioned the teams out of their sight if it had been the case. 

You made quick work on the device, ignoring the thread that moved with your dancing fingers across screens, leading somewhere behind you. There was without doubt a little stress filling your mind as you worked with your back towards the enemy, but you knew your teammates were taking them down slowly... And ignored the voices of own wounded soldiers in your com.  
You stepped to the side as the turret whirred back to life with rumbling and clicking sounds, before it took sight of a few enemies and instantly began shooting bullets again. The sound was brutally loud in your ears, yet you still where relieved at the concerned shouts of the enemy that took cover. You brought distance between you and the loud gunfire, knowing that with your successful task you were allowed again to roam freely to help out where you could. 

Your eyes wandered towards Talon who were hiding beneath some cars, occasionally creeping out to send some bullets towards the machine and your team. You caught yourself fiddling with your flick blade again, feeling a little out of place even when you just helped your people. The red thread caught your attention once more as it slowly moved away from where most of Talon was hiding. Maybe some terrorists tried to follow the example of the troop you had encountered earlier- And this time your 'beloved soulmate' was one of them. There was nothing to be seen in the darkness but you tried your best to catch any glimpse of where the glowing thread was leading to...  
Somewhere in your mind you wondered how you could inform your team about them without having to lie about the fate thing, but 'somewhere in that direction' was a really vague description when you weren't even sure of the distance between you. 

A few moments passed of just staring at the string which slowly moved across the ground and your pounding heart in anticipation. Maybe it wasn't a soldier but a medic that was forces to work for Talon... Maybe they weren't a bad person but just needed help to get out of this organization. If that was the case then- Then you would try your best to help them... Your destined partner... They just couldn't be bad, right? 

You hadn't realized how you clutched your chest and made a grimace, but then sighed in sad irritation. 

It was only the strings fault, the string which moved and twitched from time to time and- 

-And suddenly

Faded

Away. 

Eyes widened in horror as you stared down at your hand and then the darkness in which it had lead just a moment ago. It was gone. 

It was gone!? 

Why- HOW? What had happened!!? 

You couldn't help but imagine the terrorists shooting at a helpless medic that did something wrong. No, please- That couldn't be it right?  
Despite not even seeing your soulmate once was your heart drumming in your ears at the shock of the situation. Despite your original statement to not care about destiny or fate. 

This was something that only happened once in someones life and even just the chance of a glimpse has disappeared. 

Had been taken. 

...Why you? 

... Why them? 

Why was life such a fleeting moment to be ended so easily? 

You fought against your hitching breath, the sound someone made before they began to sob. You didn't even see them- You would never see them now but here you were with a painful tug in your chest, grieving about a stranger. 

A shudder ran over your arms and back as your body trembled with u regular breaths that you tried to keep down. Goosebumps ran over your skin, just at the feeling from your heart and you hugged your form for a little comfort, head lowered and eyes pressed shut. 

This wasn't worth it- This didn't matter anymore. 

Your grip tightened as you tried to focus your thoughts. Your team still needed you, you- You needed to be there for them and not cry about the pain that rendered you numb.  
You should head inside, check on the alpha troop and Reinhardt... The old dorky man always gave you a little comfort. 

Taking a deep breath you ignored the shudder on your skin and to calm your thoughts. There would be better times, better places...  
This wasn't worth your sorrow. 

With newfound strength you opened your eyes to continue with your mission, but as you caught the sight of yourself- still hugging yourself your breath stumbled in shocked irritation. 

Th- There was... Unmistakably the red string again, but it...  
You whipped around as it was now leading to a complete different direction and inside the building. 

"H-How...?", you whispered breathlessly. 

_How was that possible?_


	3. Chapter 3

You hadn't realized that you started running towards Reinhardts position and the red string that unmistakably lead close to his team. There would soon be a fight and it was your responsibility to help- Not only because one of the attackers was your soulmate. 

Feeling incredible shocked but also still a little shaken from your unexpected emotional outbreak, you tried to make sense of what just happened while your feet- Seemingly the only reliable thing in this world- Carried you closer towards your destination.   
The image of the helpless medic in your mind that was forced to work with Talon got a few cracks at the unexpected turn of events and you felt the inner conflict grow inside your stomach. 

There was just no way that you suddenly paired with another person after the first one... 'Left'.   
No-   
Your soulmate had to possess a skill like yours to go invisible... But the distance they had passed in such a short time was still worryingly. Just- maybe it had been a teleporter? Just a teleporter that had transported a few of Talons troops and your medic theory would still be valid. Would still be the best scenario. 

... But it dawned to you that it was just your selfish wishful thinking. Which you ignored, of course, with a bite on your lips. 

" _Alpha under atta- AAH!!!"_

Fuck!! 

The sudden guilt in your chest weighted heavy with every step of your jogging pace at the shocked yell of your team mates- Made you stumble before running quicker towards the assault on your fighting comrades.   
You should have just warned them no matter the suspicion it would have raised! The adventage of Talon on team alpha was your fault, your fault alone... Now you could only hope that it hadn't been such a heavy hit on them. But the interrupted message-

" _Are you alright Alpha?! Do you need backup?_ ", Pharah answered their distress call with concerned voice, rockets audible exploding through her com while she spoke. 

"I'm coming Alpha!", you yelled in your com and informed your team more in reflex before realizing with a slight flush that you surely weren't as much help as actually armed forces in your team. You should have just stayed quiet- After all would they have seen you in a few moments anyways. 

With two doors hacked out of your way you reached the scenery quicker than the average backup, the sight making your heart almost stop beating inside your chest before returning to its painful drumming pace inside your ears. 

There they were-

There _he_ was. 

But there was no time to give it much thought that your red string lead directly to the tall black figure that lowered his shotguns at your kneeling teammates after the slight knockback of every bullet rain. Your hand shot upwards, the cybernetic glove connecting your fingertips with his weapons for only a split second, but enough time to make them useless for a few moments, refusing to harm your wounded friends. 

The imposing figure whipped around to you, the white bone mask only shooting you a quick glance- Before Reaper was forced to dodge Reinhardts powerful rocket hammer that had came dangerously close to his shoulder. 

In contrast to the global terrorist had you time to see how the red thread was wrapped around one of his clawed fingers- Fingers which discarded the useless shotguns with a loud growl before pulling out new ones to counter the furious crusader that still forced him to back up from his heavy assaults. You forced your gaze away towards the wounded Overwatch agents that were still without cover- now that Reinhardt had been somehow separated from them.   
There must have been additional shields beside the German knight, but Reaper must have already destroyed them- A scary thought because you couldn't make out any other Talon troops than the psychopath mass murderer and the black mist that rose from his form in rhythmic puffs. Just he alone dealing such a devastating damage was just... Terrifying. 

You gave your teammates and apologizing look, lowering your head with the guilt that you might have been able to prevent a few of their wounds- When your gaze suddenly met with surprise the platform they were huddled on.   
It was still inside the ground but the outline of the mechanical lift was unmistakable. 

Wasting no more time you knelt to the ground and summoned a few holograms with the swipe of your glove, clicking quickly through the settings of the mechanism. The red string on your working hand showed you that the duel of Reinhardt and Reaper was now somewhere behind you, heavy shots and engine noises leaving much to the imagination.   
If there was a second level to 'being stressed' you must have ultimately mastered it by now, your only relief the whirring of the platform when it came to life. 

The wounded agents shot you a shocked stare and you swear you could have almost felt the cold swirl behind you- Claws reaching for your sweating neck and the shiver that ran down your spine- in the exact moment you bent forwards to go with them on the platform. 

The cold swipe brushed against your exposed skin

And missed. 

The same time those horrible claws almost closed around your neck you had jumped forwards on the mechanism that risen so quickly in the air at your command. Your knees met the hard surface of it with a painful thud as the sudden change of direction, quiet literally whipped you off your feet. 

When you hastily collected your limbs to take a shaken look over the edge of the floating platform to the ground, you weren't sure if you had only imagined Reapers grasp or not- His form now black mist that circled across the room and reformed behind the cover of a desk but still close to Reinhardt whom had pulled out his damaged shield again. 

Your teammates shocked words and babbled thanks met on deaf ears as you were currently busy listening to the beat of your own racing heart as you stared sweating at the red glowing thread that really, really connected you with Reaper. He looked like he growled something in his ear, surely a communicator of his own team, before that gruesome mask snapped up and black eye sockets met yours. 

You let out a sudden shocked gasp and instantly leaned back on the platform, the knot in your stomach returning. 

Just how. 

How was this killer supposed to be your soulmate?! 

Apparently Reaper was done with his talk and decided it was time to set an end to hiding behind the cover as he came out with one swift motion again, black smoke shrouding his form for just a short moment that made him look like smooth water. His giant double shotguns blasted against the already damaged shield of Reinhardt while he closed the distance with heavy metallic steps.   
-You were probably more concerned than the old hero who patiently waited for Talons heavy hitter to come closer and eliminate their distance.   
The blue shield had some cracks, but it didn't matter anymore since the crusader let go of it once more to swing his monstrous rocket hammer down on the approaching terrorist. 

It was like everything went so much slower, your irritated breath and heart beating, anticipating the cruel hit that should break every bone in Reapers body- Your soul mates body...? 

Just that the hammer met a black cloud once more, smoke in which the wraiths figure had exploded into once more before re-materalizing himself in just a split second. Shotguns were raised back onto the crusader with blasting bullets, and while Reinhardts armor should be able to take a few hits from these heavy weapons could you hear yourself yelling in fear.   
The shield he lifted again was broken with just a single shot and you could already see the bleeding and wounded body of the old kind man as a quick bullet rain halled through the room and the double guns clattered to the ground. 

You couldn't tear your eyes away to turn and look at Reins savior, but only at the black smoke that heavily poured now from Reapers wounds and the way he clutched his side with those metal claws. His cursing voice sounded barely human before he erupted once more in black mist like in a cheap horror movie- But not before shooting you another indescribable glance. 

The dark smoke swirled heavily before vanishing in nothingness. 

And your string once again with it.


	4. Chapter 4

You felt so incredibly mentally exhausted when you returned to the Overwatch base and finally were allowed to leave the debriefing. You weren't used to it since this was your first mission, but even for the other soldiers felt it very long after the exhausting travel back to the base and mission itself.  
In the meeting room had been less seats filled than before and you were informed that those who were in need of an urgent hospital visit were resting on station already safe and sound. The following praise and thanks to everyone and your additional support at the mission bounced off your ears, no matter how sweet the commanders sugar coated your contribution to the operation.  
...What meant sugarcoating... They surely meant what they said, having no clue that you kept silent about your bond with the most wanted global terrorist and that you had been aware of the incoming assault.  
And didn't warn them.  
A good fucking support you were indeed. 

The grins, the handshakes... You deserved none of them. And you definitely weren't able to look in Reinhardts warm eyes that beamed with pride of a successful mission and smiled in your direction.  
The only thing you wanted was a hot shower and the comfort of your room- your safe place- and your bed. Which you were currently heading to with a lowered head, sunken in thoughts. 

After the events of the night, most of the facilities technology and data had been transferred to some kind of underground bunker- A lot more secure and secret than their own place; So they realized.  
Your teams mission inventory had been generously consumed and badly damaged in exchange for keeping the other objects safe: Broken shields and armor, many wounded soldiers- Some of them hurt badly and in care of the stational ambulance.  
But despite everything did nobody except that foolish guard you found die that day. 

And apparently Overwatch was... 'delusional' enough to think it was because of you. They only knew what was reported, hacking Reapers guns, saving the wounded with the platform- This fact made you grimace of their stupidity and your own guilt. 

When you reached your quarters you unlocked them quickly and a relieved sigh left your lips the moment the door slid closed behind you. Leaning exhausted against the solid door you looked into the mild darkness, cool light from the outside floodlights enough to see the room and not bothering to turn on the ones in the quarters.  
Your own room... It was truly the only safe and reliable place in the world- Except that it wasn't your own. The small standard agent quarters were for two or more but your roommate must be currently in a mission... Leaving all the freedom one could possibly wish for to you.  
It was a good thing, because you knew how grumpy they got when you pulled an all nighter on your laptop and annoyed them with the brightness of your screen when they already bothered to shut out the outside illumination with the dark curtains. - Not to mention when you started littering the room with snacks that you survived with while basically living behind your screen.  
You tossed your cybernetic gear on the bed with a chuckle, before stripping off your uniform on your way towards the shower. 

  


Okay, okay. That might be a little toooo extreme. You weren't a horrible case of an introvert as you still went out to the cafeteria and met people from time to time, but you definitely had some tendencies and potential to become one.  
Again. 

  


With a step inside the cabin and a click of the button was your head hit with warm water that carresed your stiff shoulder blades and body. You stretched your face into the warmth as it ran down your cheeks and throat to create a little river, and watersrops pooling there where the stream was broken for a moment. Hearing yourself exhale deeply, it felt like the steaming liquid slowly washed your tension away which was surely exactly what it did. 

After the omnic crisis was over had many orphans survive on their own in the ruins of a broken world- And like almost all children had that been the beginning of your hacker and geek carrier. There were many like you and you hung around each other but tended to keep it that way. Ever stranger was a possible danger and nowhere had really been a safe place than within your hideout.  
When the world had become better again so had your way of living, even when the world of internet was far more interesting. As adult you had lost contact to the other orphans you used to live with and adapted more to an unsuspicious and normal lifestyle, despite continuing your hacking and information deals behind the screen.  
At the time Overwatch had been recalled you decided after a long time of thinking that you would like to join and help to your best abilities, but mostly for the feeling of being much safer under the protection of an organization. And now you were even helping making the world a better place for other children so it was a win-win. 

You caught your thoughts wandering back to Reaper... Reaper who had retreated with that intense bone chilling glare and the rest of the attacking Talon soldiers with him. After that act had it been obvious that the shotgun wielding death had been the leader of the operation and no other special member with a name had come along.  
They had probably expected it as an easy mission, considering how miserable the facilies defense and ego was, and ruining it for them would have brought a grin on your face.  
-Would have. 

Just because you were out of each other's reach, wasn't the soulmate thing solved, no... And now with the time to think and relax under the hot stream of water it was spreading in your mind like a virus. Staring at the tiled floor, you watched the ever running water drain between your feet and absently rubbed the soap across your skin while searching through every info about the mysterious man your brain had to offer.  
From news, from internet... He was a famous terrorist that pulled shotguns out of thin air and killed everyone in his way. What his exact way was was unclear but as an important part of Talon and hunting down old Overwatch agents was it definitely not some relaxed costume party, despite the way he liked to dress.  
It was unknown who 'Reaper' really was, but with his specific wrath against the heroes he had to have some sort of connection to them. Wonderful that you were part of the organization your 'perfect match' tried to erase. That was definitely dating material.  
He was also able of this supernatural mist stuff- God knows why- and... You think you also read somewhere that he drains power of his victims, leaving them behind as lifeless husks 'reaping' their souls. Of course you weren't sure about that info, you made a mental note to might investigate that topic again even when it surely was just dramatic folklore. 

However, the most important question was why the world- or whatever caused these bullshit strings of fate to appear- Thinking that you were made for each other.  
He was terrible. A heartless demon. 

-If you got paired with such a horrible person then maybe you weren't so great yourself...? 

Of course weren't you completely pure- You had you killed before.  
And it might have sparked adrenaline in your body, necessary fights for survival in the aftermath of a worldwide war... But- it never had been something that you had enjoyed. Completely in contrary to the Reaper that was known to laugh in the deepest octave while sending bullets through his victims flesh. 

It must be some kind of laughable mistake that you were connected. A joke of the universe.  
When a psychopathic killer got a soulmate shouldn't it be an equally murderous person...? Were you maybe more fucked up than you thought...? Or was Reaper-

You just stared at the ground with the warm water running over your head and body, then pooling into the drain between your feet. With your wandering thoughts had the tension come back, that nagged lightly at your shoulders and stomach. Sad that your relaxed state hadn't last for long, but you had just so much on your mind... 

By the time you finally left the little cabin had steam already filled the little bathroom to the brim. You went for the mirror that had become undefined by water that clinged to the surface in its foggy form. That was until you swiped unceremoniously over the cool material to reveal yourself for your eyes. You hadn't bothered to look in the mirror when you came back, but you really looked as tired as you felt with the addition of wet dripping hair against your skin and the water that ran down from it in tiny droplets. Rubbing your eyes, you let out an exhausted sigh before drying yourself with the provided towel.  
You didn't need a gunwiedling psychopath- Only your bed. And your beloved bed was what you dropped in with a small happy noise. 

That night you dreamed of foggy fights and black shadows that covered up the battle scenery... Sometimes coming so close to you that you felt cold claws brush against your body that made you shudder in a feeling that you couldn't quiet describe.  
But every time you spun around was there only darkness that bubbled as if it was alive... 

Close and ready to consume you.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter was getting long while I was still writing it so I divided it in two o/

The next day you woke up to the sound of your door sliding open and the rather loud dragging sound of something heavy across the floor. Your eyes flew wide open and you sat up in your bed to stare at the intruder in shock, but your expression shifted to pure annoyance when you recognized your roommate in their dirty uniform and the backpack they tugged behind them with the littlest effort possible. 

"Do you have to come in like that?! I thought you dragged in a body!" She wordlessly dropped in her bed face first with her whole armor still on, only the bed making a soft sound as she bounced a little and stayed silent. "If I had a gun I would shoot you right now...",you grumbled and rubbed your face in tired anger.   
"Good morning, too.", eventually came the muffled answer from where her face was buried in the blue blankets, her limbs spread like a starfish across the sheets. Man, the mission must have sucked if she was acting like that. Dragging the dirt in her bed and all.  
Quickly, your eyes wandered towards the clock: 2pm. 

Your felt your body freeze in shock, eyes wide- Oh, fuck. You threw the blanket off your body and where ready to jump out of bed to-   
But then you remembered that you didn't have your usual schedule for the day since your team had been given a day off after returning in the middle of night. Halting in mid movement you groaned and shielded your eyes at that tiny stupidity of yours before leaning back in the hard bed, not bothering to cover yourself again. That tiny scare had woken you up completely once more but you were still feeling tired. Your roommate must have heard your sudden panic but said nothing, just kept breathing in the sheets.   
It surely must be uncomfortable with all that dirt and armor but silence was the only thing that happened for several minutes. 

"That bad?", you asked eventually after staring at the ceiling for a while and gave her the chance to blow off some steam. Which she immediately took.   
"I was crouching HOURS. In. Knee-high. Cold. Mud.",she began and leaned her head to the side, finally speaking without a blanket-filter. "And nobody even came!"   
"Yeah, looks like you invited said mud over for the night."   
If she wouldn't be spread across her sheets you imagined she would violently flail her arms in the air right now. "It's THEIR fault! I need to blast off some Talon heads or I swear my legs will develop an own will to do it themselves!"

Her drama made you chuckle dryly, the mention of the terrorist group reminding you again of your black cloaked 'soulmate', the Reaper... Maybe you should tell her? Rambling with another woman about the matchmaking of fate was kind of a common thing... You would hear them talk about this phenomenon anywhere--But she surely wasn't in the mood for that right now.   
Maybe she would even tell others.   
Or be disgusted.

It's not like you were that close anyways... 

"You could print out some photos of them and practice your skills with a knife for once.", you offered sarcastically and slowly stood up. With the other soldier here would it be impossible to go back to sleep now, even more so with the sour mood she was radiating.   
"And be like you? Oh please, that's so old fashioned. Besides, I currently only want to like, die in bed right now."   
At her words you traced the cool shaft of your lighter-disguised flickblade, that you always had close by, with a tired smile. "Your loss." Your reply was followed up with a loud growl of your stomach which probably even she heard, but didn't comment, only turned her face back in the blankets, indicating that she didn't want to talk anymore. You had expected more dramatic complains about the shitty mission but she really must be exhausted.   
With your hand moving to your stomach you felt another long growl inside your guts. Wow, you just now realized that you hadn't eaten anything in the past 20 hours or so and that your body had every reason to be upset with you. 'Sorry, sorry', you thought more jokingly to yourself and began to get dressed for your lazy day. 

Eventually, you left the shared room with some casual clothes consisting of a baggy hoodie and some comfortable jeans, leaving the other woman to rest and dream. 

Despite your normal clothes were you always wearing your self crafted cybernetic tools when you went outside, such as the glove, an earpiece and a few other little things- Not mentioning the flickblade that was hidden in a secret pocket inside your pullovers arm. Of course you also brought your bag with the laptop and a few other items along, a necessary to survive for a hacker like you outside the walls of your room.   
With that you were ready for battle- Or well, the day- And made your way towards the cafeteria of the Overwatch base. 

Given the time you found yourself attracted to the wonderful smell of warm cooked food, tricking your brain in thinking that that was exactly what you needed instead of an earlier much preferred breakfast to start in the day.   
You walked behind the backs of agents that were waiting patiently in line with their trays, obviously in little groups of friends that talked and jokes with each other. Even though this was the prime time for most people to eat lunch was the amount of high intelligent mammals in the cafeteria rather small and with that an acceptable amount.

There was no helping it, but you do were a little socially awkward and glad for the hood that hid your face to most people while you examined the menu. Another time, you told yourself, another time you would join a random table with friendly strangers, but for now you would find an empty corner. You ignored that you thought that every time.   
After all were you meeting people sometimes, it wasn't too bad yet... Just complete strangers... They still were uncomfor-

"Hello? It's your turn." 

The words were unmistakably directed at you and you gave the tiniest jump before you mumbled an apology and chose your food with a flushed face. The others were smiling friendly at you and you even heard a mocking 'hey, let a lady enjoy her sleep!'. You would have chuckled, but you just fled the embarrassing situation the moment you received your steaming meal. 

With a nervous exhale, you found an empty table to sit on, with your view over the whole hall and a window behind your back. That way you could see everything and nobody would be able to sneak a look at your screen which was full of high sensible data.   
Well, except the window but you doubted that someone would take a peek into the 2nd floor from outside. You chuckled a little at that thought before the memory of Reapers smoke like form hit you out of nowhere.   
In reflex you quickly turned your head to glance through the window fueled by the sudden imagine in your mind, almost in worry that someone like that would be able to stalk you so easily with such an ability and even had a reason to do so.   
Your searching eyes roamed over the scenery, the soldiers that were training on the field or enjoying their break and colorful leaves that gently fluttered in the wind of fall. Out of sudden you remembered that the terrorist wouldn't be able to come near you without the red string appearing in the first place, and with the turn of your head you confirmed that it was indeed absent. That sudden paranoia now felt stupid to you and you quickly checked if someone had been watching your weird behavior... But everyone seemed busy with either eating or talking with others, far away from were you sat down.

You sighed and rubbed your index between two fingers, remembering how it tingled when it had appeared. Not only in your hand but whole body, like goosebumps. And the tension in your stomach from anticipation? Maybe your guts had known that your soul mate was about to show up before the universe did.   
A weird thought. 

...Ah, that's right: You wanted to research more about the 'love of your life'. Amazing, right now you had just managed to make yourself cringe with that. The accomplishment of the day. 

You pulled out your laptop and propped it near your steaming food, in what you generously digged in. While you were providing your system with energy with one hand danced the other across the keyboard to summon news articles and forum topics about the dude that surely was a fan of hot topic.   
There was even artwork of him, portrayed with armor and smoke that escaped the fabric and holes. It looked... Badass, mysterious... But also concerning and scary since this... 'being' wasn't fiction but very very real. And now connected with you by fate. 

The things you found didn't give you more insight about Reaper, mostly just the damage he had done and where he had last been seen. Many people who survived observing him describe him as ghostly death himself and that they are frightened and couldn't sleep at night. But there were also admirers, hell, even instructions of how to summon him. 

What if that was true? Was he actually some kind of demon?   
It would at least somewhat explain the dark mist that accompanied this humanoid creature... 

You noticed how you gnawed on the tip of your thumb that held the empty shiny spoon, sometime when you had stopped eating. Flicking a glance away from your laptop you brought your tool back down to your plate just to realize that it was already empty.   
A little embarrassed you realized that you haven't even noticed that you wolfed down your food and were still hungry- But it only had been some noodle vegetable pan so a second plate would be totally fine. 

After you returned to your table with a refreshed warm plate, you pulled out your laptop once again and met with the ridiculous instructions of the summoning ritual once more. This wasn't giving you any useful information, besides were you trying to get rid of him not to summon him! 

At that you halted in your thoughts for a moment, rethinking the sentence in your head.   
'Getting rid of him'? Well, not really... Of course the world would be better without a terrorist, but it wasn't like you were trying to prepare his death. You were only - 

... What exactly _were_ you doing? 

You weren't happy with the string of fate that had paired you up so carelessly, but it's not like you would have to see him, right? - You didn't want to see him.   
This wraith was dangerous, brutal and scary. You could just stay here, stay at the base of Overwatch and in your room.   
Sure, sometimes you would come along to missions now but you had your invisibility and could stay away from the actual battles. It wasn't like such an important Talon member was seen every time you fought against the organization. 

So what were you doing? Researching for your own safety? Satisfying the curiosity of... A person that was supposed to become your other half?   
The thought made you bite your bottom lip. 

...Yes. You were curious. 

Just why out of all people the Reaper? What had he that would draw you towards him? Something that nobody else would be ever able to offer?   
It was unfair.   
Unfair that you had no saying in it. Unfair that you were supposed to like him, just like that.   
Unfair that nobody would be able to make you feel the way that he would. 

_But would he really?_

The gears churned in your head as you skipped through more news article of his carnage. This was, without doubt, a horrible inhuman being. What was there to love about such a thing? God, what was there even to simply like about someone people called 'death' in fear? Called himself 'the Reaper' ?   
Was he even capable of something so uselessly as 'love'?

And more importantly... Were _you?_

You dramatically exhaled as you opened a new tab in your browser.   
All these questions were getting you nowhere. And the folkslore of people clearly neither. With fleeting fingers you summoned the website of Talon- Which was obviously secured.   
Glancing across the cafeteria you saw people entering and leaving, but never was the hall fully empty. You weren't used to work out in the open, even when nobody really minded you but you didn't feel like going back to your room and staying around the bad mood of your roommate.   
And so you began to hack. 

Of course wasn't it an easy task to hack into the secured servers of a terror organization, but you were a professional after you spent most of your life doing exactly that.   
Even when the data wouldn't be on the websites itself was the internet just a huge network of computers. As long as a connection was there, it was possible to break around the firewalls to retreat the information inside it. But first you looked at the source code of the website for possible- And easier- Information that could be retrieved from there.   
It did look different, you noticed. After that little failed mission they must have changed their coding a little. Most stuff looked a little more confusing and secured now, but-

Wait, what? 

There was a new part on the website and source code that was... Oddly left out by the heavy protection, sticking out like a sore thumb at the bottom of the next section. As if it was on purpose positioned within a weak link of the chain. 

Intrigued, you cracked open the little part like a box of cookies and were surprised to find dates and locations of another important Talon mission there.   
...The fuck? 

This was so obviously a trap that it was laughable. Especially after what happened just a day ago. Were they stupid? If anyone of their IT-team would see that they would-  
You halted in midst of your thoughts, suddenly thinking what other reasons there might be except for an obvious trap.   
Maybe someone tried to leave the organization, was hold against there will and managed to slip this information as a call for help?... If that was the case it was obvious why they couldn't write down "Hey, I'm trapped pls halp" but to just create a disadvantage for Talon... Still, that was only one of the possible options. 

Life also tended to give you the least favorable outcome so that was that. 

You realized that you had started churning on your thumb again while sunken in your work and let go with a sigh. A glance through the cafeteria showed you that some time must have passed, now different seats filled with different persons that weren't there before and a glance at the clock confirmed you that you had been sitting there for a while.   
Stretching your back from the mostly unhealthy position you had been in and running a hand through your hair you decided that it was time to get back to your room or maybe catch a bit of air outside- After you had reported your findings to a higher-up of course. 

It wasn't your decision but Overwatchs on how to react at your discovery. This breach of Talons security must have been already seen by various people though, maybe even the terrorists themselves if it wasn't the trap variant.   
Closing your laptop with a soft noise you clicked your tongue in thought. 

Either way, Overwatch wouldn't go to check it, you were sure of it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, hope ull like it  
> ThIs iS nOt prOOfreAd

They did as you thought.  
It was the obvious choice, the wiser one.  
One anyone would have made if there were in the place to decide to go into such an obvious outstanding leak from the Talon servers. The most dangerous organization of our time. 

...Yet you were so... incredibly frustrated of their choice to ignore it that it even surprised yourself. 

It was... Hard to categorize the reasons of your feelings and especially the annoyance since it was such an obvious risk- such an obvious danger no matter the reason for the data that had been given.  
Then why had you such change of heart? 

You fumbled with the lacing of your shoes shortly before you kicked them off, now again alone in your quarters - your roommate nowhere to be seen. It was surprising, they surely hadn't slept enough yet. -Not that it was your business anyways, you thought with a sour tone, reminded again of your weird mood which you still couldn't quite grasp.  
If you could, you would just ask what the hell your brains problem was, feeling like a little child in a temper tantrum that you couldn't even explain.  
Maybe it was the overall stress that gotten the best of you, right now making use of the dark clouds and confusion in your mind. Maybe it was because that commander you had reported to, had stared at you with disgusting dark eyes as if you were an object that could be used. It- as well as his comment of telling him nothing new, like you were an oblivious child- had triggered your social discomfort anew. Urgh. 

This whole thing was so stupid... And you were even more stupid for researching the best route to pay this Talon meeting a visit yourself. Only a day left to get there but it was more than manageable. Same continent and all... It would be fine with your invisibility, you thought bitterly.  
It all felt now like you had to prove something even when nobody was expecting anything from you or would accompany you on this trip. Hell, you weren't even allowed to just disappear and act on your own like this. 

You didn't care much though. 

So when you made your choice you grabbed your backpack and collected a few articles: Laptop ('cause you never went anywhere without your baby), a change of clothes if necessary- All dark and not attention drawing- as well as some various other things that might come in handy if you stayed longer than a day.  
Out of sudden you had lost the opportunity with the enemies and you were determined to see for yourself if it is a trap or not. It didn't actually matter if it was or not- they wouldn't ever see you and therefore wouldn't be in any danger. Meanwhile you could also get up close to Talon and their devices, maybe extracting more data, maybe... Repay your team for the silence of the assault with sensible and useful information. 

Such a sudden impulse to act wasn't unlike you... Yet you were very aware that you most likely wouldn't be doing much if they were really-... No.  
  
You weren't even allowed to think like that from the very beginning. If they were in an important meeting you would find ways to ruin it for them. A little smile found its way back on your face at the thought of those rich terrorists caught with their pants down.  
No matter how mousy your job appeared to the general masses it was truly the best. 

Of course wasn't this the only reason that you wanted to go.  
This was Talon after all: Most known, most dangerous organization...  


  


And the only known thing that was connected to the Reaper. 

  


For a second you thought if it was the string of fate urging you to go to the meeting- But would he be there in the first place?  
No, this definitely was your own free will to check the place out and not some weird kind of manipulation! Even if he would be there, what better way to find more about the shotgun wielding death than this?  
  
Your mind was clear and you definitely didn't go to bond with him- Running like a naive girl in the arms of a terrorist because the universe told you to? No way.  
  
There was merely the urge to satisfy your own questions about the mysterious man and the organization.  
  
...And this was the only way to find out more in the near future.  
All other possibilities would be based on luck and standing with your team once more against him on a mission. But even that wouldn't be all that fruitful to get more information on your destinied partner since all he and your team would be doing would be to compete who could fill each other with the most bullets.

No, it was even convenient that you would go to this thing alone. Sneaking around, observing them in their 'natural environment'. This comparison made you huff in dry amusement. This wasn't because of fate and the universe could go fuck itself. 

It wasn't like you had to sneak out since all agents were free to come and go (when they wouldn't try to start a war somewhere), but it still felt odd leaving the building through the main entrance with your backpack.  
For the cameras and the security you had to leave your hood down, but you pulled it thankfully over your head the moment you got some distance between you and the base. There were a few other agents here and there, but you weren't really close to anyone for them to approach you and start smalltalk. The sound of your shoes on the concrete streets kept you company instead, together with the music that softly played in one of your plugged earbuds and the feeling of the cybernetic glove against your skin.  
Your fingers kept feeling the material of the cloth inside your pocket, having the urge to pop up some holoscreens like someone would play on their phone... But such a mobile and advanced technology would attract many looks and questions; People that would want to summon holos into thin air without seemingly no help of a device. 

If they knew that it could interact universally with any electronic object the masses would have your head. 

It was truly your and a few other orphans proud invention... And so much better that using your phone that it seemed like a chore in comparison. But you did so anyways with a sigh, checking the time and the route to the nearest airport. Getting flights even on last minute like this wasn't a problem, neither would be the time of the travel. A hotel near the Talon meeting existed as well and enough free rooms left for you to stay until then. 

You were good with planning as soon as you needed too, yet you couldn't help but stare through the window of the moving train once you reached the station, with this weird feeling inside your guts. Grey and green landscape flew by in a blur as the train began to move while you contemplated the outcomings of this event. 

  


...Were you thinking too much or was this all being a little to easy? 

  


This thought lingered in the back of your head while you supported said one with your hand, observing the remnants of a landscape recovering from war with a bored expression even when you felt way different than your face showed. It was paranoid to wonder if Talon really arranged all of this to be so simple- They shouldn't know the location of your base, let alone which organization that finds the leak would try to pay them a visit first. Therefore all the following things of them being so close, so easy to reach and in a normal civilian area on purpose could already be shoved off. It still felt kind of weird that the destined area of their gathering was not outside in some hidden base far away from any civilization, but that might just be the movies speaking in your head. After all would be such a dramatic stereotype way too inconvenient. 

With the the urge to gnaw on your fingernails did your eyes roam over your luggage and the narrow hallway of the train. Nobody would really catch you with your nasty habit, but you surpressed it for the greater good. It wouldn't help you while you thought over your old, old, oh so old spying adventures anyways.  
The time you worked as an orphan for Los Muertos. 

It wasn't a lie that the mission with Pharah and Reinhardt had been your first operation outside of your computer in a team... Because before, and long ago, you had to go out on these rare occasional missions as child. And you always had to go alone.  
Sweet sweet innocence, big eyes, small figure... Perfect to distract important people and hack their devices in their blind spot. These had been the most of your outside carrier and they never had been easy on your mind. Yes, you did your pokerface, sweetly lied into the faces of adults while using their access to data, but never had the plans be your own.  
Where you did it or when you did it. Not even how you did it. 

Now being in control of your own life for about 10 years since then, you had surely done similar things, but much less risky, much less sudden and much less deadly if you were to be caught. No use in denying it, but this was the thought that pulled itself through your mind and spread these feelings. Maybe not fear, no, but definitely a discomfort if something was supposed to go wrong on the mission you were facing now. It made you a little stiff with tension. 

In and out. That was all. 

In- Collecting data, causing trouble- and out. 

In- Finding out more about Reaper (maybe)- and out. 

You'd be invisible, silent and a hacker master. 

A sigh. 

Should be easy enough. 

The hours ticked by painfully slow, slow and boring as you tried to distract yourself with the trending holovids in the internet on the plush bed of your hotel.  
There had been no trouble on your way, the night had been a short but restless one- Thoughts swirling in your mind that projected themselves in your dreams, though you couldn't quiet grasp the content of them anymore... You had woken up early, sweaty and tired. The shower had taken care of one of those problems at least, the others not so easily to get rid off: Your nervous state made it quiet impossible to go back to sleep for more rest and so the only thing left to do was waiting for the main event of the day.  
You already gave your whole equipment multiple check-overs to see if everything was working fine.  
And with nothing else to do than being drawn again and again to the tension inside your stomach- And the anticipation of waiting for the time to pass by- Was this the only option left to somehow make it feel faster than it actually was: Fiddling with your laptop. 

But it was fruitless attempt, your eyes doomed to instinctly dart to the clock again and again and you groaned annoyed at your lack of self control. No video was able to distract one when it eventually came to an end... And watching now a long blockbuster wasn't fitting either. Much less would you have the nerve for it.  
Ironically, was this like waiting for a hated dentist appointment- Even when you weren't sure which of both would be worse. 

  


When the time to strike finally arrived did you jump out of the bed with a freed exhale and stretched your limbs. In no time were your clothes quickly replaced with the darker outfit you had brought along- Although with accents of your favorite color. (It didn't matter much what you wore as you would be invisible with your thermic camouflage, but it did feel unprofessional invading a dangerous terror organization in jeans. Just saying.)  
The comfortable day-wear could work as the replacement now, but you were sure that you didn't need them anyways. It just felt better to be prepared. 

Apropos prepared... You gave your cybernetic glove a final checkover as well as testing the sharpness of your flick blade which on one of the bathroom towels that you held folded in your hand. Such a fuzzy thick material wasn't really meant to be cut with a knife like this- Or well, any knife at all- But you watched satisfied how the metal shredded the fabric layer by layer with a grin. Of course had you pulled it against the blade, but that was only fair as you would apply force behind your attacks to other enemies as well.  
If it would come to that.  
The ruined towel was dropped in the laundry bin of the hotel, then you shouldered your bag. 

Your choice of hotel had fallen on a one close to the destined meeting building so you didn't really have long to walk. Still were you almost jogging, too much filled with anticipation to just be casual on the last meters- The camouflage device was already running: Better minimizing the chance of being a little suspicious to not being seen on your approach to the bad guys date at all. 

Entering a secured facility was child's play for you: You could have taken 'fancy' ways like the vents or windows on higher stories, but really, what was the fun with that? Rather did you approach the smoking men that stood close to one of the buildings entrances with cautious smile. They did wear civil clothing but the heavy weapons on their backs made it obvious that they were part of the guarding staff.  
Almost mockingly did you join them in their casual stance, pretending to smoke the imaginary lunt between your fingers even when they couldn't see you either way. If they had the technology to wouldn't you have been able to approach them so closely in the first place.  
They did take their time with their cigarettes while talking about typical things like the weather- And you pretended to not check your hand for again and again in case a red string would appear. 

" _Break's over. Come back in_.", came the announcement suddenly from one of their communicators and you had to hold back your deep exhale.  
You were invisible but not unhearable. Though, at some point you should try to add that to your machinery. 

The men, all tall and well trained, grunted in response of the information before snipping, kicking and stomping their cigarettes out and turned to open the doors. When they finally did and shouldered their weapons again were you waiting patiently for the opportunity to sneak with them inside without making contact with them or the door.  
You do were nervous but this was something you had done hundred times before and so it played out familiar and smoothly with a spin from your side and a cheeky smile. The soldiers were none the wiser when you waved them goodbye and mouthed a silent 'Adios'.  
Behind you began they to talk about some bets this time but you already left around a corner. 

This building looked from the inside surprisingly prettier than expected: Smooth stone ground in colors of light brown and white, a soft golden accent here and there. From the outside had the facade made a rather normal impression at you and you wondered if this was a generally used hideout or meeting space.  
You were thankful for the soft pads below your shoes so that your steps were almost mute while walking quickly. 

There were still about 15 minutes left before terrible Talon would come together in the meeting and you still needed to find the exact room of it.  
However, that shouldn't be all too hard; most places appeared to be locked anyways and another troup of guards had conveniently showed up to lead the way now. If they were going there, that is. But why wouldn't they if everything else seemed to be locked?

  


"Can't wait to return to base again for another awesome job.", said suddenly one of them as they noisily walked up a nicely decorated stairways that had appeared at some point in your field of view.  
You silently rolled your eyes at the soldiers words, _'Yeah, how awesome did you think being a pawn for terrorists would be?'_  
"Same here. I don't really get what we're doing here, man."  
  
Now what was that supposed to mean? 

The mute question was left answered in silence of the squad and after they reached their destination they halted and changed to a guarding formation, watching over another narrow hallway. They also blocked the stairs back now so no intruder would get up here, swhich meant that the target room should be near by.  
It wouldn't be hard to find another way out- That wasn't worrying you- But the whole situation did left an odd feeling in your guts. The silence had clearly said that the other pawns agreed with the mans statement but what could be different for them on this mission that they didn't know what to do? It felt suspicious... 

But even so had you already guessed that this was a trap. It wasn't new. And you were in no danger after all. 

  


The creme-colored hallway felt weirdly long and all the doors seemed to be locked. And not with normal electrical systems but old traditional keys which you concluded by the luttle holes below the shining knobs.  
It might be some normal system with old design but you couldn't really summon your screens to check them out with the guards still in linear view. So you just wandered down the stoned floor until you reached a single frame with an open and welcoming door. A quick view to the side showed you that there also was another set of stairs leading upwards, at the very end of the hallway, but you decided to check the room first. After all was it the first not locked one. 

From the first glance did you already know that you were correct here. Whether was it a trap or not, the room was spacious and had several chairs on a long table with many clean glasses ready to be used. This looked very much like a meeting room and besides the fancy decoration had it even plants that appeared to be taken care of. This really must be a frequent used place.  
Perfect. You would just find a good spot in a corner and-

You had only made a single step when an itch in your hand appeared that turned into the familiar pickle on your skin. With widened eyes looked you down at the source of the sensation and saw the red string that wrapped around your little finger. It was leading into a wall and nowhere at the same time and suddenly you realized that you didn't completely think this through.  
If- If Reaper now really came here would he know that you are sneaking around and eventually detect you right?? Especially if you were in the same room! 

You wanted to slap your head at that irony when you suddenly heard the guards shout something from down the hallway. And suddenly were their heavy steps approaching you quickly. Despite being invisible were you now utterly uncomfortable in your position and quickly stepped back to look towards the nearing Talon pawns.  
And they... Filled the hallway completely in its width that you wouldn't be able to sneak by. Neither could you hide in the conference room- It would be a deathtrap! And all the other doors were locked- even if it turned out that you could hack them would they see it!  
Fuck, they were really good in making you feel trapped when they couldn't even detect you with their eyes, yet surely weren't aware of your presence in the first place. 

You had no other choice but to run for the staircase to the next floor, hoping there would be more options. The string had just appeared so your 'beloved soulmate' shouldn't be that close yet and the invisibility would prevent to lead him perfectly if he was going to... Check you out. That thought alone made you gulp as you remembered that stare he had given you at the day of the mission.  
Reaching the next level were you relieved to not hear the soldiers from below following you, just to almost run into another pair of them. Only two this time, but still a threat for a blade wielder like you (if we were going to count that that was for emergencies in first place). But ohh~ It was too late... 

"Hey, what was that!?" 

One of the guards reached out with his gun to knock lightly against your arm as you had lifted it to block the 'assault' in reflex and it momentarily disturbed your camouflage, making you flicker for their eyes before being once again hidden as you stepped away with a gasp. Of course had they seen and heard that, now fully aware of your presence. 

"There really is someone! Get 'em!"' 

'Really'? -There was no time to think about it as they removed the safety from their guns while you turned around and began to sprint full speed. Thankfully was there a corner, forcing you to slow down again but at least inside safety right when the bullets began to blast, hitting the white wall with loud drumming noises. 

"Get back here!!" 

Oh yes, of course!  
You would have laughed if you weren't actually in danger. It only took them a second to realize that they hadn't hit you and stopped the shooting in favor of running behind you. Running that fast were your steps now loud enough to be heard but it was better than being silent and caught in the hallways.  
God damnit, why were all doors locked?! The thought of hacking a door now (if it was possible) only passed your mind for a moment since that would only lead them directly to were you vanished and might end in a dead end of a room. Honestly these one-wayed floors weren't really any better and you couldn't help but feel like one of those rats in an experimental labyrinths. 

No, there was no way you could discard the feeling that this all had been planned from the very start when you ran into a dead end, the hallways suddenly ending in some kind of hybrid waiting room with a doorframe but no door. Spinning around you considered now running back out and trying to hack one of the other doors after all but the Talon pawns reached the frame right then and there.  
They were looking around, searching the room with their eyes and their guns readied and it would only be a matter of time until they would made the first step of shooting randomly in hope of getting you. 

So you decided to act first. 

With a sudden calmness of a killer, despite your drumming heart, did you approach the left guard soundlessly, snapping your flick blade to its full invisible glory. The sound triggered their reflex and they began their bullet rain, although in front of them while you pressed against their side. You stretched out your gloved fingers to disable the gun of the guard further away from you, who first made a noise of confusion before starting to curse. 

Since you weren't all too strong with your hands did you kick against the still blasting gun of guard number two with all the strength you could offer that wouldn't make you lose your balance and the unexpected assault irritated theirs instead. Two gunners at once were a heavy task for someone like you so you used the moment to ram your knife from below into their non protected chin and into their head.  
You were wise to immediately pull the metal out again, before the heavy body broke down and would have taken your knife and arm with you with its weight. The recoil of your attack disturbed and disabled your invisibility that you were now free to all eyes. Seeing you and the fallen body of his college he didn't waste a second to aim his gun at your head- And even when the fear closed around your heart and the adrenaline rushed through your veins were you very much aware that the bullets wouldn't come.  
That's what the other realized too, yelling some curse in a foreign language as you charged forward to pierce their neck. But of course was this a fully trained soldier we were talking about and in contrast to his friend didn't take him the attack by surprise. So he lifted the big weapon quickly, the hard material of it easily blocking your blade, followed up by ramming the thing in your stomach. 

Fuck! 

Now it was your time to curse, your opponent definitely having the upper hand now despite being without his beloved weapon. The camouflage wouldn't be usable for at least half a minute either, knock back was always its weak spot.  
Blood was drumming loud inside your ears as you stumbled back and quickly reached for the weapon of the dead guard on the ground, but that asshole stomped down on it before you could even attempt to pick it up. In your pain and blind anger of being overpowered you rammed your blade inside the unprotected side of his lower leg and the pain had him screaming. Not taking the chance of him recovering from that too quickly, did you drag your blade down his leg- The squelching noise of tearing muscle and flesh would have probably been too much if you hadn't seen a lot of shit in your childhood- Before pulling it out in a swift motion.  
He went down with another scream, grabbing his leg in reflex with one hand but well trained to not let go of his weapon with the other, but it wasn't like that useless thing mattered. Your endorphins yelled at the triumph in the fight over survival as you grabbed his head harshly and force your knife down at his neck again. This time failed his attempt to block it from the unexpected pain, as well as the disadvantage of already being on his knees. It was disgusting when the blood gurgle out of his throat and his eyes rolled back at the lack of air.  
And probably pain. Mostly pain. 

He sank to the ground with more noises and you took the mercy to slice his throat completely and silencing him with it.  
Just now you heard your own ragged breathing and the drumming of your racing heart, as you looked to the ground at the motionless bodies of what used to be humans threatening your life.  
You felt strong. You felt powerful and wanted to yell that you're alive!  
...But you knew that was the adrenaline inside your system speaking. 

And it felt like it was fading rather quickly as you held your pained stomach and felt the need to sit down.. 

"Not bad with the knife, but rather messy."

The rough dark voice made your head snap up towards its source, finding all the earlier triumph escaping your body and leaving only dread behind. 

"You will get to know some _real_ weapons." 

No- It couldn't be... How did you not notice?  
There, in the doorframe was he standing, broad shoulders and with his arms crossed. Mask hiding his face but staring as if he was... No, you couldn't tell what emotion _he_ was possibly wearing. 

Reaper. 

What would your 'soulmate' now do to you??


	7. Chapter 7

You stared in disbelief at Reaper, whom was still standing broad in the frame of the doorway and watching your every move like a hawk, his expression hidden behind the famous mask of the terrorist. 

It was incredible how much your escape and messy fight with the pawns had distracted you but that he was able to get this close... That the terrorist and your soulmate was now blocking the only exit... Was no less than terrifying.  
The blow that you received in your middle earlier was throbbing painfully but you still pulled your strength together to take a more defensive stance, the metal of your flick blade shining in the rusty color of the soldiers blood below you.  
Of course wasn't there a chance that this would even remotely help you against Reapers hellfire shotguns- If he eventually decided to draw them- And so you weren't sure if the slight tilt of his hooded head was meant to be mockingly or just disbelief of your stupidity. 

Your eyes flickered nervous between the search for an escape and the little thread that wrapped around your little finger of the knife that you were holding, leading down in an arc just to reach back up to the killers armored metal claws... Unmistakably curling around his little one. It was the fault of this thing that it even came to this situation with the dangerous Talon commander and it made you bite your lips in anger. You felt your puls painfully where you had been hit before but you would still make this fight as hard as possible for Reaper, definitely not giving up without one-

"Almost amusing, but now come here."

That gravely dark voice of his comment- or well _command_ \- made your eyes snap back to the bone white mask, confused that his words didn't hold any threat but felt like he actually just wanted you to step closer. What?  
Confused you knit your brows, contemplating his stance and tone and the possible outcomes of this situation. 

"You don't sound like you want to hurt me?" It wasn't your fault that it came out more as a question. The whole concept of _the Reaper_ not wanting to hurt someone sounded so absurd. Soulmate, or whatever, should it really offer you safety privileges??  
An impatient scoff from his side before he sneered: "Not unless you deserve to be hurt, _my beloved._ " 

The way he spat the last words made you shiver. It wasn't kind, just pure sarcastic mockery and his voice promised pain. Well, at least pain when he didn't get his way-  
"And now don't make me repeat myself.", he added dangerously low, one of his hands uncurling from their crossed position and offering the sharp talons to you. Ironically was it the one that connected you two with the red string, but that made an edgy bladed glove not more appealing at all.  
Yeah, the little distance between you wasn't a problem, it was the sheer thought of just hopping up to that dark terrorist and- what? Did he actually expected you to take his goddamn claw hand?? Who did he think you were?? Definitely not that oblivious!  
His gesture only made you pull your hand towards your chest with a scrunched glare but you had enough willpower to not step backwards nor hold your stomach to show that you were hurt (Despite the ever rising urge to sit down for a moment and just relax for a goddamn minute). 

He looked annoyed now and it was so clear that he didn't even need his face to deliver that emotion. The previously open palm curled to a fist in anger and from where his arm was uncovered you could see the greyish biceps rise with the tensed muscles. Before you could react did he stomp towards you with only two, three steps in record time.  
There was just time to flinch before he reached forward and wrapped his hand- not too painful but firm- around your jaw, while his bladed claws scraped dangerously close to your earlobes. Your eyes widened as you gasped and reflexively stabbed with your blade at him with a small noise. Only for him to catch your wrist with his free hand rather unimpressed and crush it in his clawed grip painfully until you let go of it with a small groan, the blade clattering noisily to the ground next to the corpses. 

"I'm not a patient man." 

"Funny,", you pressed through your clenched teeth, "I don't see a man here." ' _Just a monster._ ' , you completed in your head. 

At that he chuckled and somehow was that reaction even scarier than what you expected. A chill went down your back as he roughly pulled your closer with his grip, seemingly firmer than before.  
"I guess it would be boring if it was too easy." The rumble of his voice felt so intense now that you were closer, like he had a dragon in his throat who was speaking and growling instead of him. The strain on your jaw only allowed you to painfully grunt in response. With your angry and squinted eyes you saw how he let go of your hand in favor of taking hold of the fateful string and curling it around his fingers, yet never taking his glance off your face.  
"You only were born for me." he emphased every word of that sentence with his dusky voice and you couldn't really tell if it was sounding playful or threatening, which was probably both. The pressure around your skull made you tremble without being able to spit back a response while the dark pits of his mask continued to stare down at you.  
  
"And now you're _mine_." 

Damned to silence you stared at him in burning anger when he suddenly used his hold around your wrist to pull you closer once more, drawing a suffocated yelp from between your teeth when you met his hard armored chest.  
You suppressed a painful groan at the contact of your wounded middle against Reaper, focusing on keeping your pain in check. The other hand of yours had been free the whole time and you really wanted to punch his stupid mask, especially when he leaned in that his head was at the side of yours but it wouldn't do much damage nor was it worth the consequences he had promised. 

"This bond will be our secret, understood?", he rumbled in your ear and the tone of it made the hair in your neck rise as you leaned away in disgust, hating everything about this.  
He had formed it like a question but it was clear that this asshole wouldn't tolerate anything else than agreement. Well, it wasn't like you planned on telling anybody anyways, you just wanted to get away from him. So you nodded in his hold while still wearing a furious expression at how he was treating you.  
At once did he release you again and the suddenness of it made you almost fall, but your body had to suffice with a stumble and fighting back once more the urge to just curl up around your throbbing stomach. He said that he didn't intend to hurt you 'unless you deserved it', but it was against your every nature to expose a weakness to the enemy.  
Reaper however, didn't pay you much more attention and just turned around to leave the room, fully expecting you to follow him. And from what you could tell so far was it probably better to not test his patience again. With a silent grunt kneeled you down to pick your flick blade of the ground. 

"Leave it." 

So much to not paying attention.  
Wordlessly curled your fingers around the shaft before you quickly closed it with a click and shoved it back in one of your pockets, ignoring your strained muscles and shooting the masked man an angry glare. "You will learn to use better weapons.", he just commented, annoyed that you seemed to be attached to the knife. His words could also be seen like a parent forcing their child to do the chores. Again, it wasn't your decision. 

Saying nothing you followed him as he set an even pace with those metal boots and you already started to think about an escape plan, but as you put some distance between you and the room did one thing kind of bug you:  
"I get mass murderer and that, but do you not care that I killed your men at all?"  
Reaper didn't stop walking or showed any other reaction towards your question, just scoffed with the calm in the world: "If you hadn't been able to kill those two weaklings then you wouldn't be worth my time." 

What the fuck.  
This made you livid, but you contained your words in an angry snarl. Not only was this disturbing as hell but that heavily implied that... Oh God, did he knew beforehand who you were gonna fight with?! Which then could only mean... 

"Don't tell me you planned this..." It was almost a whisper of trembling anger and disbelief. Disbelief of how the terrorists used lives as replaceable recourse and anger if you really walked right into this trap.  
"My soulmate's even smart, _how lucky_ I am.", he sneered sarcastically, the words dripping with venom. The urge to hurt him risen inside you again but you just stared angrily at his coat that, with enough time, it would have been able to set the thick cloth on fire.  
If this was all set up as test then he had already expected the soldiers or your death. You know he was Reaper, the Reaper, but it was still so sickening. Especially if he had observed your fight with the same lack of interest he was radiating now, when you had _killed_ someone. And that a weak "partner" wasn't even worth his time. 

"Was there even gonna be a fucking meeting?" You didn't even try to hide the hate in your words this time.  
"Shut up and turn your camouflage back on.", he barked back at you dark and rude, ignoring your anger. "And I will know if you try to run." 

The urge to fight with him was so unbelievable big but just as you opened your mouth to insult him had he suddenly halted, making you almost stumble inside him with a curse. At once Reaper had turned around, the coat waving almost dramatically in an arc and catching your attention before you could see the shotgun rising from underneath that was suddenly pressed against your chin. It was pushed upwards in its chilling touch and you gulped uncomfortably against it as you recognized the weapon and your words got stuck inside your throat. 

"I trained enough brats to know when I see one.", Reaper growled at you through his mask, the white metal unnerving close to your face again. "I can assure you that talkback or attempts to disobey me won't result in **pleasure**."

"Fuck you."

It happened so quickly when the gun fired next to your head, the sound of the bullets blasting behind you so ridiculously loud in your ears as you bit back a whimper. Then the shotgun was pressed against your skin again, now it's end burning against your skin from where it had just shot hot metal out of. Somewhere behind you had something shattered from the bullets but that was the least of your problems right now. 

"Aw, so you _do_ get scared.", he almost coed roughly and so close to you and damnit, you really were trembling now. This time you actually felt a cold sensation of pure primal fear going down your back at the words while the gun was still firmly pressed against your jaw, making you fear for the worst. The warn shot had just gotten you out of nowhere and your nerves where pretty much at their limit. You actually felt the distinct urge to cry.  
It was true that you had maybe felt a little too brave and this was the world's famous terrorist after all... Even with your bond you were still very much in danger and it didn't even need the gun to prove that.  
"C-Can I ask a question?", you croaked this time instead of hissing something back, the weapon bobbing uncomfortable against your skin with every word. He only replied with a huff but you took it as an allowance to continue. 

"Why e-even keeping me alive in the first place...?" 

Even if you were able to survive his cruel little test... And he claiming you as his was it surely still a lot of 'effort' for a mass murderer right? If he usually solved his shitty problems with the very fucking thing that threatened to scatter your brain in all directions were you only going to be a nuisance to Reaper if he really decided to- Whatever he had planned. 

His broad frame shifted a little at your question but it was still unreadable for you, then he finally pulled his heavy gun away again, which you watched dissolve into black mist with concerned wide eyes. With the death-threatening pressure on you throat gone couldn't you help but touch it, nervously rubbing it as if it was sore while the taller masked man just turned his back to you again and growled: "Hurry up and use your thing now." 

He didn't even wait as he settled into his earlier pace again, fully expecting you to follow his heavy steps after the threat. And oh boy, you definitely did hurry up to him and turned invisible with a bite on the inside of your cheeks and finally holding your aching stomach. This whole fucking day was going so badly and you just wanted to go back to your room... 

At least for now you would try to not piss him off if that was how he reacted when only _warning_ you. There was no need to ask if the famous terrorist had violent tendencies and neither did you feel the urge to find out what he would do when a shotgun to your face was him going _easy_ on you. There were rumors he took souls for a living and you didn't need to know more about that myth. 

However, messy plans to make a run for it already formed inside your head (no thanks to Reaper), possibly when he was distracted otherwise by an equally important Talon member. If he didn't want people to know of your bond he couldn't just start chasing you anytime right? If you were able to get enough distance between you would the traitorous string of fate disappear and everything after that should be relatively manageable. 

But at least for now you had to play along, even when the thought of that frightened you...


	8. Chapter 8

You held a respectful distance to the black cloaked man while walking, staring down on the tingling red string of fate that was partially invisible with your device but got more opacity the closer it was to Reaper. 

The cruel way you were now forced to follow him made it feel more like a leash than guidance... Or for whatever that thing was even good for. Maybe you could have just made a run for it, but the thought of punishment if you were to be caught was frightening you... You were only a hacker, an information dealer, and you didn't have much tolerance to pain that the famous killer had promised. Still a little shaken from the earlier gunfire next to your head you gulped and nervously fiddled with the handle of your blade inside your pocket.  
With heavy steps was the Talon commander leading the way, downstairs and past the conference room and hallway, the metallic parts of his shoes echoing way too loud in your ears.  
As you walked past your earlier destination did you give it an angry glare only to see cans and plates of pastries now that had been brought to the long table.  
You halted in genuine surprise as soon as you processed that sight. 

Fuck. 

Now you weren't even sure if you should be even more mad that there really had been something organized or just feeling stupid. So... Reaper had used the opportunity for his private plans? Not caring if anything had happened here?  
Or had been the other leaders okay with the leaked information...?  
Surely n-

"Sir, we heard shots from above." 

With the sound of a guard did your head snap back forward towards the end of the hallway and Reaper who had stopped tall and intimidating in front of the soldiers. Those assholes that had blocked your way earlier. The unspoken fact that you were now being with one of their leaders made you want to vomit. Still, you better hurried up to him and the thought that you were forced to do so continued to upset you, but you did so without a sound.  
Holding your stomach you noticed that the Talon pawns had automatically made space for their superior to pass, despite the turmoil they had heard from where he came from. Usually you would have to investigate, especially over "friendly-fire" but they seemed smart to not stand in the way of personified death. 

"Clean the mess and collect the equipment.", he growled to nobody in particular but almost instantly departed three men from the group to hurry from where you had come from. You dodged them with a quick step to the side and were thankful that they walked behind each other this time. After all were you only invisible but not un-run-into-able. For a moment you wondered if Reapers demonic voice was unnerving them as much as you. 

When you looked back forward at the other did you notice the slight tilt of his mask and that he seemed to check on the string on his claws, but just as you saw it did he look at one of the remaining guards again.  
"Tell Akande that I got something better to do. I want a car ready on entrance D in a minute.", he dismissively told and suddenly stomped past them to the other set of stairs. God, you really wanted to run in the opposite direction- just what the hell was he-

"You will be leaving, Sir?" The guard visibly tensed that he had to deliver the message. You frowned further, crossing your arms once more and wondered how you would react if you were to bring Doomfist bad news.  
Well, delivering some freaky modern warlord any news at all was already a shitty scenario.  
Instead of gifting the pawn with a reply did Reaper only turn his head to shoot an unseen but very much present glare, instantly making the man stiffen and regret questioning his commander. It was incredible how much power was radiating from his authority.  
Surely would have been the worried guards amusing if you weren't feeling as fucking uncomfortable as them. 

"W-Will do, Sir! And a machine will be there." 

With hearing what he wanted Reaper turned away again, taking his leave down the steps still aware that you were close. And you were close alright, at least close as tolerable with a man that had threatened you with a loaded gun on a fancy but narrow staircase.  
You were worried, nervous, hurt and tired but you still sweared in your head in trembling anger that you would get back at him for this. Whatever shitty life such an edgy person must be living you would r u i n it. 

And no you didn't need to be reminded that he's a leader of an influential rich terror organization and was probably living the life. 

Your duo, with the immediating figure in front, were taking some turns inside the building, only meeting a few other troupes which saluted with a simplistic nod and a rise of their weapons... But it was always accompanied by sheer respect and loyalty. While Reaper just ignored them all since they werent even worth a nod.  
At Overwatch was everything so much... Loosely. Of course there was the respect and salutes but everyone was more... familiar with each other? You never really had opened up to it but it was hard _not_ to see enthusiasm and smiles of people fighting for a better world. Though even Overwatch wasn't spared of assholes. 

At some point did your 'beloved' murderer just stop and you assumed that you were now waiting for the ride or car. And hell, you knew that getting shipped directly to a Talon base of the famous terrorist wasn't appealing at all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short is short.


	9. Chapter 9

Except the occasional steps of the Talon guards was it very silent while you were waiting.  
  
So very silent that you controlled your breath to be more flat, even when that collided a little with the pain inside your stomach. It was definitely going to be a bruise, but it should be fine in general.  
Most of the time had you been in the backline of fights and the missions you did during your time in Los Muertos hadn't hurt you (in most cases), so you didn't have much experience with wounds signs and treatment...

While waiting you tried to look at anything but Reaper, except that you caught yourself staring at him already a few moments after the very thought.  
Sure, you had seen him all over the internet and in news, but it was very different to actually observe someone in person: Lazily leaned against the wall was he standing there with heavy black armor, the red shotgun shells, crossed arms and a look into the distance.  
  
...At least was that your guess since the direction he was staring ended in a blank wall which surely didn't offer much entertainment- But who knows?  
  
You checked his body for the dual shotguns and possible other weapons but you saw none. Well- you scrunched your face a little- if you were able to let them disappear in thin air you probably wouldn't bother to carry them on your person either. 

...Of course didn't you fail to notice another part of his body: Which was his body itself.  
It wasn't a secret that he was well built with his broad shoulders, the neck, arms and _man those thighs._

  


-It didn't change the fact that he was a terrorist though.  
And an asshole that kills innocent people.  
A huuuge asshole that was impersonated death, threatening and leashing you like a fucking dog and supposed to be the one for you. 

You would be the one to stab him, that's for sure. That is if he wouldn't block your attacks like you're a little child and weird supernatural smoke leaking from the broad figure. 

...Why were most assholes well built?  
Someone should make a theory about that. 

Your inner monolog got distracted by a small noise which you couldn't really define until Reaper reached into his hood, somewhere where his ear would be and hissed, " _About time_." His voice was so loud in the silence of the room that you flinched from it, but thankfully were you still invisible. 

"The ride is here."

It was an average car, just with darkened windows that were impenetrable by the normal eye.  
The two of you approached it: Reaper with impatient long strides and you more wary of the unfolding situation you were getting yourself in... You hoped the chance for an escape would come soon. 

It surprised you when the window of the driver seat suddenly lowered, most likely because you didn't expect a person to be inside. The glass turned down and you feared there would be another important face of Talon to make your day harder, but after an airless moment did it only reveal another average pawn by the look of their helmet. They must have been the one who got the car ready.  
Would they drive you around like some chauffeur? There was no telling of Reapers reaction to them as he was halting right in front of the window with his back to you. 

"I can't stop you, Sir, but I'm obligated to inform you to stay."

Reaper snarled loud in annoyance at those words and turned to open up the back door. He signaled in a sharp movement of his claws for you to get in... If he had better manners it might have been a nice gesture for him to open you the door but we were still talking about a freaking killer here that forced you against your will. For a moment you simply wanted to throw a tantrum and just ignore him but as soon as he noticed your lack of movement through the string did smoke begin to rise from his form. It wasn't only intimidating to see it creep towards you but the thought of the swirling mass to touch you like it would in your dreams was what triggered your impulse to jump into safety. Which was the car. Slamming the door included. 

Reaper now turned back to the other guy with his mist dying down and if the pawn was confused by that short scene then they did a good job at hiding it. They only tensed slightly when his superior opened the driver door, expecting them to get out. 

"Doomfist isn't happy about this-",they said and and dared to work on their belts in slow motion to give their boss enough time to think about his decision.  
"Therapy might help." 

Oh- Okay, that was almost funny. 

Though the fun died quickly when Reaper suddenly grabbed the soldier and just cut the seat belt with his claws, then dragging them out of the vehicle. The soldier couldn't suppress a scared noise but realized thankfully that he had been 'merely' tossed to the side of the street.  
You watched that whole scene with a grimace while the black cloaked killer swung into the car like a metal band member would. The engine turned to live with a harsh flick of the still locked key and Reaper growled at the defeated lesser in his inhuman voice, "Send him my regards.", before closing the window back up and blazing off. 

There wasn't much time to worry about the poor guard that had to deliver now the news to the other heavy hitter of Talon since you were still in a bad situation yourself here.  
Although, it was only fair to mention that Reaper wasn't driving all too reckless despite your worried expectations of him breaking a million laws in only one trip with the car. You didn't think the rules were really what was holding him back, since duh- he was literally breaking basic human rights every week, but you were glad that he drove normally.  
Your expectations had already involved cops and how the terrorists would simply gun their face off when stopped by them at the side of the street... That it wouldn't come to this was relieving. The pointless deaths it would have brought... 

But then again death was part of your war and war was all was pointless. 

It didn't seem like Reaper was watching you, busy driving the car 'n all, so you summoned a holo display that you quickly squashed to a smaller size with your cybernetic glove. A phone was not a thing you owned but it was still weird that he hadn't confiscated all your stuff, right? He had said no when you picked up your knife but he hadn't tried to take it away from you. Kind of weird... 

In the meantime you silently tipped a short report for Overwatch in which you explained that you had gone alone and were now currently under Talon but would try to flee at the best opportunity. 

_'If I do not write again in the next 24hrs might have been my connection cut and I am still kept as prisoner. I'll add my latest locations to the report_.' Yeah you went alone, but you're of too much value for them to be left here alone. 

The small display vanished right before the car halted and you quickly looked into the driver mirror to see if you had been caught. 

The black depths of Reapers mask were looking back at you. 

With an uncomfortable turn of your head did you see that you stopped for a red streetlight.  
Not sure if he had seen what you were doing you tried a weak attempt of conversation as distraction. "So... Why isn't Doomfist calling personally?"  
He had looked at the traffic for a moment but with your words were his 'eyes' now back at you in the mirror- Something you regretted- And it did feel now like a glare even when the mask hadn't changed a bit. It only broke when the light turned green and the mysterious killer had to look once more in front of him. 

You already didn't expect an answer anymore when after a few moments he suddenly growled and said, "The fucker likes to send people around like pigeons, makes him feel high and mighty." It surprised you again how deep and rough Reapers voice was and you could feel it on your throat. Regarding what he said weren't you all that surprised since Doomfist was pretty much of a warlord during his time in Numbai already. 

"Besides, I have him blocked."

That unexpected last part almost made you snort in surprise but the same moment did your eyes meet Reapers black holes in the mirror again and it got stuck in your throat at the unfitting situation. You, stuck in a car with a famous murderer and you almost laugh.  
So you croaked, "... No way.", instead.  
The other surely had seen some of it but after some moments he turned away and didn't seem further interested in talking.  
You swear you saw him shrug for a moment.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some general info
> 
> There will be smut, yes  
> There will be more tags so they don't spoiler atm  
> I'm writing when I feel like it but- oh my God  
> I have so many notes and _scenes_ for this fic already, it's insane. I had half of this chapter written already when I finished chapter 2 lmao
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this and what will come with time

With the silence and (your) tension inside the car did the ride feel much longer than it was. The thought about just getting out had passed your mind more than once. Getting out the door when he halted and to run until he couldn't track you with the string anymore, but you had been worried about innocent civilians getting involved...  
You were far from being a good person but it didn't sit right with you to draw strangers into a shotgun wielding hunt with death... 

  


So the time passed with your mood getting more and more sour, the bruise throbbing at the tensed muscles and the car eventually reaching its destination. 

Which turned out to be a place for helicopters. To be honest haven't you given your travel much thought, but these chain of events were getting on your nerves. Of course would it be a little bit harder to get to Talon but come on...  
The way back to your base was getting longer and longer and while that itself wasn't a big issue were you already dreadful of the travel you had to spent probably hiding away. Urgh. 

Stopping the car a bit more abruptly than expected you glared at Reaper who carelessly kicked open his door of the vehicle and continued to open up your own. It looked like he wanted to grab you, to pull you out or drag you all the way, you weren't sure, but he seemed to decide against it and lowered his claws again.  
He hadn't really made much space though, so when you climbed out of the car you brushed his side a little that made your camouflage flicker for a second. You almost flinched away when the device and the surprised touch startled you. Reaper didn't really react much to it, just that he was now staring where your face was hidden away again and you imagined him glaring down at your beneath his hooded face but there really was no telling of his expression with the owl-like mask. 

"Our machine is that one.", he began with his deep raspy voice and pointed with his chin at one of the helicopters. Following his view you grimaced at the vehicle that was encircled by lights and a red clothed soldier smoking at the open door. 

Apparently was the string really good at making him guess where you were standing because he suddenly pushed your form roughly forward, almost making you stumble and your appearance flicker at the impact once again. You turned and where ready to snap at the man when you looked up again and said man was the masked death of your time.  
Obviously- but surprisingly easy to forget.  
His height and military build was intimidating enough, but the dark pits of the mask that stared down at you were what made you gulp. 

"Move it.", he growled throaty and annoyed, clearly not used that he even had to say it and just started to walk that he would run inside you but against your better judgment did you move towards the engine now. His heavy boots stomped close behind you. 

At the helicopter itself were you at loss if to go inside directly or not and you really didn't want to so you came to an awkward halt, your arms crossed at the uncomfortable situation.  
The apparent captain of the thing had noticed Reaper approach long before yours (hah) and gave him a respectful, "All systems ready, Sir!" once he got closer. You didn't really know at which point your captor had even informed that guy but maybe that came automatically when 'boss wanted to leave the party'. 

"We'll start directly.", his superior ordered low. The pilot saluted and drew a last breath of his cigarette and turned to snip it away when the metal claws of Reapers hand once again found your shoulder blade to make you stumble up inside the back.  
"You're awfully slow.", he grunted, not caring if you would fall on your face or not. Enough was enough and so you slapped his hand off, the metal making your hand sting from the impact.  
"Stop touching me!", you hissed at him in low voice, not wanting to alarm the pilot of your presence, then turned to take a seat with an angry scowl. You do were scared but his touch felt like poison on you.   
  
Reaper growled back at you for that but didn't grab you again. Most likely because he had no reason anymore though. With a swing he took the seat in front of you and crossed his arms like he was pissed, but it wasn't like you cared much. Besides he always seemed pissed.  
  
The engines started and before you wondered if you would fly with fucking open doors jumped another Talon henchmen inside the helicopter and pulled the large thing shut. What he didn't know was that he took the seat next to you.  
Taking the weapon from their back they locked the safety back in place and obviously avoided to look at Reaper. This guard probably was part of some protocol that they both weren't very fond of.

Some minutes passed in silence when out of all people Reaper broke it:

"Impressive that you didn't whine about your hit yet." 

For the soldier it seemed like his boss wasn't talking to anybody and they appeared confused but kept avoiding his glance. You in return flinched at the mention of your bruise and bit your lips because he knew of your weakness. Since when you weren't sure.  
  
"But it's also incredible stupid."  
  
It was probably the most the Talon pawn ever heard him talk in his usual throaty voice and while that thought itself was somewhat amusing did you only snarled back at Reaper in response. 

"Let me see that.", he _demanded_. 

No way.  
Ignoring him you bit your lip and stared out of the window in silent invisibility and protest.  
When the time for your reaction ran out he guessed with scaring accuracy where your arm would be and painfully pulled you towards him, that gruesome mask concerning close to your flickering face. In the corner of your eye did you see your seat neighbor jerk at the unexpected reveal of your presence. 

" _That wasn't a question_.", he growled low and you felt that the threat in his inhuman voice risen the hair in your neck. How did he manage to be so frightening with so little? 

You wanted to defend yourself and your point of not wanting help, especially not from him, but his grip around your arm tightened and the bladed claws began to draw blood. The additional pain made you wince.  
Only impact disturbed your camouflage so after he was just holding you you had disappeared again from sight of the normal human eye- If you wanted to comply with his fucking threat you had to turn it off completely. Defeated you clicked some inner buttons of your cybernetic glove and the device shut down with a silent melody, revealing your grimace of pain and humiliation.  
At least that made Reaper let go of your arm with a grunt and you directly felt it throb where he had clenched it. You didn't want to test his patience again, not with him hurting you so easily, so you carefully lifted the clothes over your stomach to follow his initial order, wincing at the friction against your bruise. 

By the tilt of the terrorists mask you could tell that he was indeed inspecting where you had gotten that weapon rammed in your guts earlier, but he made no attempt to touch it- What you were glad for. Not that he would feel with his clawed gloves much anyway.  
You noticed how the other soldier gave it a quick glance before averting his view again with little movement to not interrupt the scenery. In contrary did the heavy armored commander lean to the side and kick a medikit from below your seat. You jerked your legs to the side as he was suddenly invading your foot room and a whisp of black smoke seemingly grabbed the little box to throw it in your lap. That sudden drop of it on your legs made you flinch again and you hated how jumpy he was making you with his _bullshit_.  
He could be thankful that the kit didn't tumble against your bruise or you swear you would have lunged at him. 

Hesitantly you opened up the metallic box to reveal the typical medical supplies. A small biotic field, bandages, desinfection spray and with a bit of fumbling even needles to sew wounds that made you shudder. There were some more things that you didn't know and you weren't really sure how to treat your bruise either. You knew the biotic field would be the last step to speed things up, but what exactly could you do beside that...? 

Reapers piercing stare wasn't helping at all. 

You began to nervously fumble with some of the bandages before the black cloaked man scoffed at your obvious bad attempts. Apparently where you doing things worse than you thought and with a short command did he order the Talon pawn to aid you in the 'so difficult task'. Without questioning the situation the lesser turned to you and gently took the box of medical supplies from you.  
"I'm not a soldier!", you defended yourself at the open disappointment of your captor who just scoffed again. 

"Go on." 

Shit.  
You thought of words, now that you brought yourself in this position. Meanwhile the henchmen inspected your wound and began to apply some cream that made you wince from the touch. With a glance you saw how they had pulled their glove off to spread the substance on your stomach and while it was very much invading your personal space did you almost want to choke at how gentle they were. 

Back to the problem at hand: Reaper clearly thought medical knowledge was the basic thing- You didn't need his respect, not from this asshole, but you felt like you had to protect your pride. To be honest was in normal in war, but with your unusual position you just never came to be hurt... 

"I'm a technician that got too curio-" 

His metal glove slammed the helicopter wall right beneath your head, making you and the pawn flinch at the sudden outburst of the masked killer.  
" _Bullshit_.", he snarled and his smoky voice was laced with venom, "You are a spy. Some Overwatch girl that was _stupid enough_ to come _alone_." 

You were cornered by his arm, his armored body and the small space inside the vehicle but you backed up so much that it would have looked like you tried to vanish inside the wall behind you; your backpack squashed awkwardly in the small space. Technically were you some kind of technician/hacker just with very unusual assets that you used offensively.  
Desperately thinking of some excuses to not reveal your person fully did Reaper drew his arm back. However, before you could think if you might be out of the situation did his metallic claws grab your chin in a painful hold. 

"I _know_ you tinkered with my guns the other day." 

Fuck, how could you forget that!  
The day this stupid fate shit all started had been when Reaper had assaulted your team and you had indeed hacked his weapons to disable them momentarily. To save your crew from more damage.  
-Shit. You had been invisible while you did it but he had already shown how good he was detecting you with the glowing thread alone and in hindsight wasn't it all too hard to combine one and one. 

The claws around your face tightened painfully. 

"I'm an offensive hacker that deals with information.", you finally spat.  
He kept his grip and mask close, seemingly searching your face but for what you weren't sure. Then he released you and crossed his arms again.  
"So you're of _her_ kind." His growl still somewhat freaked you out while you rubbed your chin in a soothing manner, not understanding what he was implying. 

During all of this the Talon pawn had waited patiently and a little unsure if he was supposed to keep aiding the enemies wound. Good for him (or you) that Reaper solved his unasked question with a wink of his mask, making him continue his help.  
Now that your conversation with the commander seemed over he began to ask quietly about your bruise.

"Please explain what happened so I can treat you further." His voice sounded a little robotic through the red helmet but you wanted to sob at how nice he was in contrast to the freak that was supposed to be your soul mate and held you hostage.  
You told him wary but also sarcastically how a friend of his had hit you with a gun in your stomach and while you couldn't see his face did you feel like he smiled a little.  
"Yeah, we tend to attack enemies.", he whispered back, not inaudible for Reaper but in an attempt to not annoy him with his talk. For a moment you almost smiled, then looked at the black cloaked man in front of you to find him intensely staring at you. Who huffed again, for whatever reason, then barked at the pawn to do his job before he'd put a bullet between their eyes. 

He did as he was told and wiped a bit of the rest cream from his fingers on your jaw where you could feel bruises from Reapers claws forming. It was a nice gesture but it also made you feel a bit conflicted since he was working under that bastard. You frowned when the pawn fixated an elastic but hurting bandage across your stomach (a little fiddly in the small space of the helicopter and your backpack) and set up the small biotic field in his hands. Despite your conflict couldn't you help but ease up when you felt the warmth from it spread evenly across your body and slowly seeping in your tensed muscles relaxing you seemingly. These things were always nice to have around, injured or not, and while your stomach throbbed once again at the intrusion did the flesh feel already much softer. 

Some who weren't under the soothing heal effect could have kept track of the time since you definitely couldnt. Before you knew had the helicopter landed and the biotic field was shut off again, much to your disappointment.


	11. Chapter 11

The warm remnant of the healing field didn't linger for long and so were your troubled feelings once more destined to creep at the doorstep of your mind. 

With your landing did the quiet Talon soldier stand up to open the sliding door of the helicopter, though hesitated when Reaper snarled loudly. Turning his red visor he gave his superior a questioning but unseen glance to await his orders.  
-You weren't given the privilege to hide your troubling emotions: Your angry frown was all you could offer to conceal the drop of your stomach once you really realized that you must have arrived now at the lions den: Some Talon hideout to hold you hostage and surely beat some useful information out of you. 

Reaper didn't speak right away, no, rather did he take his sweet time to slowly roll his hooded skull to crack the vertebrae of his neck- A sound that made you wince- Before announcing his next orders cold and sharp:

"Drop your shit.  
I want that backpack _and_ the gloves."

...That made your blood run cold. 

It had been only a matter of time until your precious items would have been taken away from you, but that didn't made you feel more prepared for it. You didn't want to hand over your laptop and the other belongings you carried with you, especially the technology to escape that very asshole that was demanding your stuff. 

But no matter... There was no point in fighting him. You didn't want his ridiculous giant gun to your face nor more pain of his metal claws to force you to his will.  
Biting the inside of your cheeks you slid off the bag and almost threw your equipment at his waiting claws with such hopeless anger that one would have felt a seize in their heart.. - But nobody with a heart was present. 

The gloves followed, which you would have preferred to slap in the killers masked face. And then maybe yell out to the world how unfair everything of this was. The red string tingled as it phased through the gloves like nothing, seemingly mocking you as it continued to connect you to that bastard.  
-That bastard that said that you were his because of this fucking useless thread! Whos very presence was so frightening and shaking you with unease?!- What exactly did he plan to do with you for real? He couldn't have been actually serious with... No, he hadn't worded it like that but the "you're mine" - shit was heavily implying some possession problem. He was intending to get all the use out of you, probably making you somewhat of a slave- And _fuck_ -  
As horrible terror organization they should have enough of those! You were merely a victim to this coincidence and to be a part of Overwatch.  
This specific attention from the one that the universe deemed as your rightful partner was as laughable as it was concerning and every step towards this unknown future made you sick. Well, as much 'future' you would spend with your 'beloved' now before you would run as far as possible. Hopefully never seeing that terrifying mask again once you got out.

The mask that you were currently staring at with bloody lips from how hard you were biting them. 

Your bag was dark but the colorful cybernetic glove looked so out of place in his clawed fingers, it was comical. Everything he wore was black and armored heavily besides the shotgun shells that hung across his chest and belt. His bone colored mask was staring at you but you didn't care, too busy being heartbroken to see your precious belongings in the hands of the enemy and about to be milked for information with whatever torture their standard program was. Even so, it wasn't enough yet so he topped it when he eventually addressed the still waiting Talon pawn. 

"Take her to cell 16 in block B."

It snapped you the fuck back to attention. It began now. That bastard had said it without a care in the world- As casually as one can be when ordering to lock you up! This was war and he had no reason to care about you but take freedom in _front of your face_ once more. You would shoot his stupid mask off the next time you'd get a gun. 

The asshole didn't even blink at your reaction (metaphorical of course) and the soldier turned his head back towards you. His helmet made it impossible to see his face and the expressionless pawn was of course ready to follow his orders. Quickly you raised your arms to fight him off if he _dared_ to grab you. You knew it would come. You knew, yet it didn't soothe the rising fear in your guts.  
  
"Bastard!! Fucking touch me and I'll-" 

" **Shut up**.", Reaper sneered, now clearly annoyed and the sharpness in his throaty rasp did make you bite your lips once more. His authority over others seemed already radiating from his voice alone. Not that it was something new to him. The terrorist rolled his head again but there was no satisfying knack for him this time. So he finally stood up with his belts clinking, his height sizing you down once again. Not that he had to do that to already make you tremble in fear of what was to come in that cell. 

"There are others I have to take care of. But _Death won't forget you there, my dear_." 

...Until now you didn't know that that pet name could sound so threatening. Death... Had he already decided to discard you when he was done? It all seemed so hopeless.  
Still, you wanted to reply, to insult him and curse him to hell but you couldn't think of words with your chest seized in fear like this.  
And then he already ripped open the helicopter door himself, making you flinch at the sudden noise.

" _Maybe._ ",he added to his statement with a rough whisper. 

And then, suddenly, his form sacked into itself dissolving in a cascade of black mist that swept against your legs and made you scream, before it flowed out of the helicopter in a swirly dark river. It had been the same cold sensation when his mist had brushed you on that day with your team and you shuddered and the thought of more dark dreams with that black ooze. 

You weren't sure if the henchmen wasn't fazed by that horror display or was just too disciplined to react to it. But of course wouldn't he be the one to offer you comfort, especially not after he took his weapon back in a more offensive pose to fulfill his order.  
"Come on."  
Somehow his robotic voice sounded meaner than before, but surely was that your imagination since you felt somewhat betrayed by the stranger. Sure, this guy only followed orders but that he had been aiding you before was now so... It left a clenching feeling in your ribcage. Patched up to be broken again.  
This was a terror organization and all of them wouldn't linger a moment to kill an defenseless person. There was no reason to feel betrayed. 

You got out and were walked in front of the pawn, his weapon in position to do damage if needed but you knew that he hadn't unlock the safety yet. You weren't sure if he was aware of you knowing it or if he simply didn't plan on shooting you if it came down to an escape attempt.  
Either way, you wouldn't try to. Hell, he was leading you on a big place in front of a building complex and there were armed red guards and fences everywhere. It was literally stupid to even try and this realization didn't help your ever worsening mood. 

Both of you entered a building that must have been the B one that Reaper had instructed which was heavily guarded as well. You were surprised that nobody seemed to look at you but in return did you take all the more time to inspect everyone and -thing in detail.  
Feet walked you through a hallway of glass and unexpectedly nice decoration and you even saw a reception with a pretty lady on a modern holopad device. You weren't really sure why but you had expected gray pipes and weapons, military structure and rust dominating the view, but besides the excessive amount of guards wasn't that the case at all. In a corner you even spotted a almost luxury looking waiting room but you were pushed into an opening elevator before you could look further. 

"Hey!", you complained more in reflex when you felt the weapon shoved between your shoulders blades. The soldier said nothing just followed in behind you. The elevator had a wall high mirror inside and now you could see that you looked as vulnerable as you felt. You really had nothing on you besides the backpack and gloves. With wandering eyes you looked down at the pockets of your jeans. Well, except for your knife... It was disguised as a lighter which was in itself a weapon too. Lighting things on fire wasn't a safe option for your prisoners. 

"Hands up."  
  
Damnit, he must have watched your stare. You followed the pawns command unwillingly and he quickly felt down your body with his hands. For a moment you were thankful that he wasn't groping you since he was obviously a male, but your thanks was soon replaced with helpless anger when he snatched your knife and the additional cigarettes to the disguise. There wasn't anything else to find and he stashed your items with a short sorry.  
That confused you. 

"What?", you asked dumbfounded, right when the elevator halted. But the soldier didn't explain himself, just directed you out again with his weapon. "Move it."  
  
Once you got out you were lead through a darker plain hallway that must be part of the lowest point in the building. It just was a gray concrete basement that yet still seemed to be in a better condition than one might expect for prisoning. Small red lights littered the walls and you could make out the cameras that connected to them. If you got your gloves back was that at least one problem less to worry about, you tried to reassure yourself. Inside your guts were churning and you were honestly scared with every other step to what would become your cell. 

Soldiers had tolerance and training for torture and suffered pain from fights that build up their tolerance but you were just the hacker that watched from behind the scenes. Perhaps you would have suffered more injuries if you hadn't met Reaper the same day you were first assigned on an outside mission. 

With heavy steps you were lead by the pawn till the very end of the long hallway and motioned to open the heavy door yourself. To your surprise wasn't it the cell directly but a small room with table and chair with a second door. The room behind it was unmistakably the prison room itself, only a thin metal bed inside and a small vent on the ceiling instead of a window. There was also a small light but it wasn't on. 

The gun in your back made you stumble shakingly inside the dark cell that was only lit by the bulb from the middle room and the figure of the soldier already was blocking that partially.  
You turned with dread towards the door when it was slammed shut, so loud that it made you flinch and you realized with a grimace that not even the tiniest bit of light came through the slits.  
There was no sound at all even when the Talon member must make at least some noise to leave and close the other door. You strained your ears and held your breath to hear anything. 

Anything. 

"You can't do this to me..." 

But you were left alone dark silence without an answer.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **!! 2 chapters uploaded in short time!! Make sure that you read the previous one already!**

Now that you were shrouded in darkness you noticed that the glowing red string of fate was no longer present. It was weird to realize it so late but it must have already disappeared when Reaper had left with his dramatic horror smoke. The thought of the killer as cold mist made you shudder again. You didn't know what the range of the thread was but he must have distanced himself quickly which only left you wondering where the hell he had gone off to. After all was it his fault that you were now locked up here in the base of the enemy.  
  
Alone and in darkness. 

Soon you felt your way in direction to the bed, hands gliding along the rough concrete wall and in the ever so irrational fear to run right into an obstacle. You had seen that only the bed had been present here but it was one of those weird human instincts to trip in the darkness. Feeling more like a blind grandma stip-stepping for her crudge than your actual age you cursed loud when you suddenly hit the hard bed with your shin after all, all that caution for nothing.  
You cursed and lowered yourself on the mattress that must be more stone than cushion, then reached for your leg. Rubbing the sore spot you blindly looked around once more, the darkness making it impossible to tell how far away the walls really were.  
It was an eerie isolated feeling that settled in your guts and you were somewhat glad to spot just a tiny red light on what must be the ceiling of the room. But then you realized that it could be another camera and it replaced your feeling with a bitter taste. 

You weren't sure what was worse: That there was absolutely no sound or that you weren't able to tell the time. 

The tiny red light of the camera blinked in a rhythm that almost matched passing seconds but you resisted the urge to count them. It would only drive you crazy, you were sure of it. So you had laid down and tried to sleep, which was harder than one might think on this son of a stone mattress. To that came the chaotic feelings inside your guts of what was supposed to happen with you and how long it would take for them to check on you.  
'Death won't forget you.' he had said and that was all but reassuring. These thoughts left you turning left and right until you were more exhausted than after a workout. 

Hours must have passed with your squirming until you rested your head on your arms and finally were able to doze a little.  
Sadly it wasn't restful and only left you feeling flat by the time you awoken. 

If this mind torture was what they and Reaper had intended then they were doing a good job at it. You felt bad for anyone who got into these cells but then again were they surely more trained than you. With your general lack of patience was this just a nightmare. 

...

Be patient. Pass the time. 

... 

  


Don't count the blinks. 

More naps between your wake exhausted state. 

By now you were sure that at least a day or more had gone by, but it just was impossible to really tell. Everything felt like an eternity and nobody had come to indicate anything of time. 

No food was brought.  
  
No sound was made. 

You weren't going crazy yet, for that you needed a lot more time to pass but you wanted out so badly. It was just horrible being here. 

For some hours you preferred to sit on the hard ground and focus the blinking light with your eyes, wondering if anyone was watching your misery. They probably were.  
Perhaps Reaper himself, chuckling about your helplessness. 

It made you angry and the anger was giving you a bit more strength. 

Time was crawling. 

Quietly passed the hours in darkness, when the red light of the camera just vanished.  
At first you had lost your orientation and thought you had turned back against the wall but after some turning did you realize that it was gone. It was confusing you, maybe even a little frightening.  
  
Why would they do that?  
What if something happened? 

Then the string appeared again. Cut off where it disappeared in one of the walls. It didn't really offer light at all just faintly glowed red itself. You watched for some time how it moved and twitched ever so slightly. By the look of it was your soulmate somewhere in the upper levels and that made you grit your teeth. After watching it move for a bit you decided that it would drive you as crazy as the camera would and you closed your eyes to concentrate on staying calm. 

A little later you heard some cracks and clicks that seemed way too loud in your ears. 

Maybe your ears had become hypersensitive to sound after this time in silence. And there was now another pause in which you pressed your eyes shut to concentrate on hearing some more. 

Then, suddenly the door roughly swung open, the scratching blaring noise almost more contrasting than the bright light that suddenly fell in from the other side- It made you scream in surprise. Right then and there you would have been ready to bolt for the exit if it hadn't been for the bulky silhouette standing in the aching light of the doorframe.  
With your eyes shielded by your hands you could only assume that the single heavy step they took in was stopped by the realization that your cell still was dark itself- Or maybe the darkness in first place- Because with a small "click" became the room even brighter with the help of the now lit lamp. You had to turn away with a groan as your eyelids seemed to be pierced by the light. 

"'This out since you're in?", came a gruff voice that you knew too well. 

"Yes.", you whined at the false sun in form of an old lantern that brandmarked your eyes and at the realization of whom had just entered the room. He grunted- In acknowledgement or annoyance, you weren't sure. Without looking you felt his stare on you and somewhere you wondered if you looked as patehic as you felt.

Where the fuck had he been? Why the useless wait?

_It was his and the strings fault._

Reaper took some more steps inside your cell and shut the door. It wasn't that loud but still made you flinch- For you everything was too loud now.  
Something rustled from his direction, like plastic, and then was thrown to you on the mattress. It tumbled against your side and you moved your shielded eyes to squint down at the object. It was a wrapped-up-something. 

"It's food. Eat it." 

You tried to look at him but with your eyes still not adjusted could you only see his steel toed boots and that he was leaning against one of the walls now. The urge to curse at him rose inside you again but instead decided to stay silent. Exhaustion washed over you and you had no nerves to deal with this asshole. 

He scoffed at your lack of response. "It's not poisoned either. I could just snap your neck if I really wanted to."  
  
Oh, in that case...! Reaper really knew how to sweeten his words. 

You endured the brightness long enough to give him a squinted, hopefully death-wishing, glare. He should make you shake in your boots but the treatment had made you more brave, spitting out your next words: "Why bother when you kill me anyway?"  
Just now you felt how dry your throat was. He had brought food but no water? Such an idiot.  
Secretly you eyed the package next to you. 

" _You die_ if you _disobey_.", he rasped with his incredibly dark voice and crossed his arms. "I thought you gathered that much."  
Grumbling you now stared at his mask, but he seemed to avoid your eyes and stare at the string that connected you.  
  
"Then start explaining what you meant; What you want from me."  
  
You were so tired of this. The only thing you wanted was to be back in your room with your equipment and hacking global organizations while enjoying a bag of chips. 

" _Shut up_ and _eat_." 

It was scary to think that he could just leave you again in the dark silence but you felt so exhausted to really give a shit of what would happen. Staying alive unless you disobeyed? Well fuck 'shutting up'. You needed answers to keep your sanity. 

" _ **What do you want, Reaper!**_ ", you hissed with such venom that it even surprised yourself.  
  
-Funny thing is that it seemed like he hadn't expected it either. He finally looked at you. For a moment you just stared at each other when he suddenly tightened his grip on his arms and remembered to snarl at you. "Watch your tone, brat." 

You gave up the fight, too tired to deal with his shit and took the packed up food. It felt very soft. A good smell rose from it and you unwrapped it to greedily come to face with two burritos. With how long you had been in the dark cell you were more than hungry and bit inside the softness.  
-It didn't really matter if it was poisonous or not and you noticed with delight that it was still warm. 

Meanwhile Reaper was just standing there against the wall, silent and unmoving. The man shouldn't reward you with food since you talked back again but he was oddly fine with observing you as you began to salvage the burritos. They tasted so good that you had to control yourself not to wolf everything down, trying to keep somewhat of your dignity. It probably was an average meal but your hunger made it amazing. 

"You." 

His sudden words made your eyes snap back to the killer, this broad bulk of armor in the corner. The lack of context to his words made you gulp your mouthful of food hard. He had said 'watch your tone' and before that... Yeah, you had asked- Wait, had you understood that right? 

"...What?" 

"I want you." 

If you hadn't emptied your mouth beforehand you would be now suffocating on your bite.  
  
...What in God's name was he thinking?? 

"I won't hurt you. It will be my..." He stared at the string and slowly curled and uncurled his claws. "...Ongoing experiment for my own curiosity." 

Ha ha.  
That was fucked up. 

"You belong to me. You're bound to me. I want to-" He stopped and groaned, suddenly annoyed that he had to explain himself. His metal claws now seemed to tighten in his armored palms and you only noticed it because you were staring at him so shocked.  
"-To try it out."  
You slowly got hysterical with your thoughts to answer. A fucking joke. He was _the Reaper._

"...Did- someone blow your brain out...?! This is not your fucking choi-" 

"No, it's not _your_ choice. Haven't I been clear when I said ' _you'll stay alive when you cooperate_ '?"  
The fuck. He wanted you to force you to- what- holding hands and act like a couple?! 

"You were born for this, _my soulmate_." The words weren't sweet, just growled with threat.  
You stared at him and the red string that connected you. 

_God._

He was _fucking nuts._


	13. Chapter 13

You kept staring at the masked man in disbelief, your food completely forgotten in your hands. Was he even listening to himself?  
"Y-You expect me to hop with you across a fucking flower field?" 

" _I_ expect _you to listen_ and at least _try_ to survive.", he snarled. Who of you two was more pissed of? You couldn't tell but you were shaking heavily from your anger and shock. You had the urge to just shake your head repeatedly at this joke.  
"I'd rather _die_ than being your-" 

_Stomp._  
That choice of words hadn't been the smartest. Reaper suddenly stalked towards you with quick and heavy steps. Now you felt your fear hit again and backed away, then made an attempt to run to the next corner. A clawed hand slammed beside your head, blocking the way. Shit, shit, shit! All your courage was gone and replaced with panic. How could you've been so stupid!? You stared up at the emotionless mask with eyes wide in fear. 

That very fear made you doge under his arm but he had expected your movement and grabbed your shoulder with his other hand, his metal claws sinking painfully inside, effectively pulling you back. The dark hoodie cushioned his attack but you whined when the blades cut inside your flesh and shoved you back against the wall. Caged between him and the wall you gasped for breath- Not so much at your pain but the fear that erupted in your chest. Deep primal fear. 

The worst thing was that he didn't speak immediately but took his time to study you out of the dark pits that concealed his eyes. Pressed against the wall with his body dug the sharp parts of his armor painfully inside your trembling skin. There was no telling if there was anything more or if Reaper simply toyed with you.  
Ridiculously strong and cruel, that's what he was. 

His next words were almost melodic the way he spoke, yet sharp and full with the promise to hurt you. " _Rather die_?", the man cooed and moved his free hand to trace almost gently against your collarbone and running upwards. The clawed fingers were cold against your sweaty skin and throat where they rested against your weakest spot, threatening to slice your flesh. It made a cold shiver run down your back and you tried to stay as still as possible.

" _ **I can arrange that**_." 

The way he spoke sounded so casually and you knew for a fact that the Reaper had no problem ending lifes. After all was he doing that on a daily basis for a living. It made you tremble against the sharp claws. They poked painfully in your skin but not yet breaking it.  
"N-No!" Your wording hadn't been helpful. "I..."  
The way he stood there so expecting you knew that he probably wanted you to take it back. Not because it mattered but to confirm the power he held over you. 

" _Please_." Reapers voice was mocking you. His claws pinching you.  
"Please don't.", you pressed through gritted teeth. 

You hated it. You hated that you plead but you were so worried about his close grip. The sharp blades of his gloves could pierce your throat at any moment and you would bleed out with nobody ever knowing about it. You could actually see the traitorous blurriness in your vision. While the bone mask just kept staring down at you. 

He could have used the moment, his adventage to tortured you longer, be more persistent about your plea- But he knew that you were reminded of your place. At least you didn't try to piss him off again. If he'd say you were annoying then it would be the truth, although your big mouth made the whole endeavor a little more... Interesting. It was indeed suicidal to pick a fight with death in person but it was better than a puppet that would obey every little request. Even when your way of acting irritated him.  
You definitely were scared of him and it was his nature to think of a way to break you. How the time in the darkness had affected you would torture be an easy way and yet Reaper found himself to dislike the thought of ripping apart the little courage you had. Not many talked to him like that.  
The pressure against your throat was increased for a short moment and he was satisfied with your scared gulp against his fingers- Then he stepped away. It wouldn't shut your bratty mouth for long but you would learn with repetition not to test him too much.  
You would learn that leaving you alive for this 'test' was already an act of mercy. 

After giving you a bit of space again you breathed flatly with relief. You tried to mute it as much as possible to not make your shaking feelings as obvious and because you knew that you weren't out of this yet. The famous killer demanded that you played along, at least listened to him. Until... Until he eventually got bored of you as toy. You really needed an escape plan. But till then you had to play your part, so you mumbled a belated and shaky "Thanks."  
You couldn't help that it did come out with a sarcastic undertone though.  
However, Reaper didn't acknowledge it further. He just turned to reach in his pocket and pulled out a bright colored something that he threw at you. In reflex you cached it quickly, despite your teary view and almost whined when you realized that it were your beloved gloves. Silently you wondered if he had them checked through. 

"I enlisted you in the military training.", he suddenly said, his sandpaper voice sounding apathic. "You're awfully weak."

Military training? Talons leader just put you to the normal pawns education? The enemy's classes? That was so... Ironic. Why would he want you to learn at all? 

"I handled those two guys alone back then." you reminded him bitterly, yet bit back your sass.  
"They had been new. I was already expecting a low performance. That you used some small butter knife dug below that." The terrorists words made you bite the inside of your cheeks again. "Still... I won."  
"On a _pathetic_ level.",he rumbled.  
Kneading the gloves in your hands you stayed silent and stared at the string between you. Reaper had followed your gaze. "You will tell nobody about this." The urge to shoot back a snarky reply rose inside you but you focused on the cuts of his claws on your shoulder and nodded angrily. 

"Good. Now put your camouflage on and follow." 

Wordlessly, you pulled the cybernetic gloves over and quickly finished the rest of your burrito- That had fallen to the floor with his advancement but thankfully had landed on the plastic side. You were still hungry. Stuffing the rest quickly inside your mouth you clicked a button on your palm to disappear from view. The black cloaked man acknowledged it with a roll of his head and simply opened the door that had locked you in this room. Somehow you hadn't realized that it wasn't locked after he entered but it wasn't like you could have gotten past the broad man anyways. It was just... Infuriating that stepping out of your cell was so easy now.  
Once more did you follow the partner of your demise when he halted in the tiny pre-room before the hallway. "I hope I _don't_ need to remind you that running is pointless."  
"No."  
Trying to run while he was around wasn't worth the pain he'd put you in. 

You wanted to ask where your backpack was. Urgh, there were many things you wanted to ask but now was not the time- He was already out of the door and expected you to follow suit. In silence of course. 

The two of you entered the elevator and you took your time to study your captor.  
It was obvious that you had to be invisible so that you wouldn't draw attention to you, you didn't need to question that. But you wondered how he intended to hide your connection for the time you were here. Only the two of you could see the string of fate that connected you, the string that traveled so traitorously up and around his metal claws.  
...Yet he also was an important asset in the organization. Reaper the terrorist and one of Talons leaders. Of course would another person around him be suspicious. And weird.  
There was probably not a single person that wanted to be around the edgelord out of their free will. And neither did you.  
Now that you thought about it... Enlisted as recruit to get the Talon uniform was a smart move. Anonym masks, blending in.  
You realized that you didn't like it when he was smart. Reaper should be stupid, degenerated, just a blind shotgun wielder- Then everything would be much easier. 

Maybe you should have remembered the way you were walking, but after countless of hallways came that thought a little too late. If you'd hack into the organization you would learn the layout soon enough, but that you had no idea where he was leading you now was unsettling. Though anything would be better than to return to that dark cell. 

The mans steps were heavy and focused, his body unreadable. The dark cloak he wore swung softly to his every move. Staring at his back you only saw in the corner of your eye something purple approaching before you could turn your head. 

"Gaaaabee~!" 

That was some woman's voice and then you were already run against. The girl? Woman? Had aimed to tackle Reaper from behind but had rammed you in the process instead since you were invisible. The sudden action had honestly shocked you and you stumbled backwards with your flickering image- Impact had always been a weak point of your technology.  
Somewhere you noticed Reaper turning with a snarl but your focus was on the woman in purple that rubbed her arm and stared at you with knitted brows. She saw you. She knew. 

Let's not mention that your camouflage had decided to shut down from the error. 

" _Sombra_..!", Reaper growled dangerously low and his words felt like a whiplash. Sombra?? The famous group of professional hackers??  
"What's this supposed to be?", she began sarcastically and you took in her appearance again: Brown hair with pink highlights, a sidecut with glowing implants, strong purple eyes and in general everything stark purple. She definitely didn't look like she was part of Talon. This woman was part of Sombra?  
And then you noticed her heavy accent. That... 

"No... You are-", the purple girl sounded shocked now, but you definitely recognized that voice. You had heard it for years back then, she had been one of the orphans. You stared at her face, the fear written in it. She had changed so much. So much but you could still see the girl that used to be your closest friend. 

"O-Olivia...?"


	14. Chapter 14

"Now _this_ is interesting." 

You barely heard Reapers pleased voice, too focused on the woman that had been your only ally, your best friend so long ago.  
Olivia stared at you for a moment before she rose her arm, the nails of her glove drawing thin purple lines to the nearest camera as she summoned a little holofied and quickly tipped on the see-through buttons. To disable it.  
_Of course_.

After all was this was the technology you both had worked on during your time in Los Muertos. 

You almost blocked out Reaper completely as you couldn't help but stare at her. She hadn't changed much, but at the same time you could barely recognize the girl you used to spent hours screwing machines together and gossiped about the adults. Your friend you stole food with and dodged the people that wanted to lock you up in the cheap camp of an orphanage, bursting with all the other children that had been left behind- Barely able to feed them all yet trying to strip them of their freedom.  
It hadn't been easy living as one of the thousands of orphans on the streets after the omnic crisis, stealing everything you could get your hands on and living in some ruins of a blasted building with a few other children of your age. It hadn't been easy until you both had found safety within Los Muertos- A criminal gang centered in Dorado. 

You remembered how powerful you had felt when they showed interest in your hacking and technical skills and offered food and shelter in exchange of your work. Especially Olivia had been extraordinary with sweet talking and manipulating people as if she was hacking them like they were just walking circuits. You on the other hand were more of a forward and crafting type, yet still not far behind her coding skills. No doubt of moral, no questions of their usage had been asked when you tinkered on weapons to enhance them or extracted important data of governments servers.  
You had been only two children trying to survive in the broken remnants of a war.  
Together you had worked on the technology of your cybernetic gloves: Interacting and manipulating electronical devices through touch, summoning holopads into thin air. It had been your little secret project to master your crafts and become independent from the gang. You two wanted to stand on your own feet, only bound to your own rules and you had the power to work towards this goal. The day you swore that you would never sell the blueprints of the gloves was still so clear inside your memories. How you had celebrated it over a pizza in your messy lair, laughing at your triumph. And then how Olivia got over the years more and more addicted to hack everyone and -thing while you had started your own project: The device to turn invisible. Still within Los Muertos. 

Back then you weren't sure if you would have dubbed your relationship as growing distant from each other because you had noticed her nervousness, her jumpy attitude: Knowing that she had challenged something bigger than herself and wasn't letting you in on it. Despite the silence, how could you've ever called her visible fear the fault for you two drifting apart? 

Silently you had continued working on your invisibility but in the end it had been her who disappeared one day instead of you. You remembered clearly how you had searched in the workspace, the office, your favorite hiding spots- Every place you knew when Olivia had been missing for days. She hadn't said anything. The only thing that told you that she had left by her own choice was that all records of her had been gone. Her tracks completely erased. And only a master hacker could do something as impossible as deleting their existence from the network. 

Still, you had worried about her. _Of course_ you had worried about her.  
And now all the years thinking that you'd never get to see your dearest friend again felt like a fading fever dream- Now that you saw her healthy and within the ranks of fucking Talon right in front of you. 

It was so... Conflicting. You couldn't decide whether to be angry or relieved and only stiffened with the building tension and your silence. She was studying you too, her brows knitted in deep thought like she used to do back then. But you couldn't decipher if she was happy about your reunion- Besides her thoughtful gaze was her face smooth with indifference, something that frightened you more than you thought. How many years had it been, ten? Fifteen? Soon you had stopped searching for her because you knew that she didn't want to be found. She didn't want to be found and now here you were: Not able to say a word and scared of her reaction.  
Good thing that Reaper was there to move the horrible scenery along. 

"My, my ' _Olivia_ ', seems like I finally got something against you." 

His words cut inside you- He could very much try to get some of your friends past out of you and treat you like the toy he thought you were, but if you were actually a leverage against her was questionable. What usage was her name if she erased everything? And what did you still mean to her after she had left you like that years ago? 

"Oh, do you? " Olivia tapped her lips with her long pink nails in faked thought as if his threat was him merely requesting his opinion on an outfit. Then she shifted into a more casual stance that showed no sign of distress, one hand resting loosely on her hip. "Well, I think that I'll have to lend your chica for a little chat."  
A low growl came from the armored man. " _I don't think so_." 

You grew more uncomfortable with every minute. Your old friend's purple lips strained to a smirk as she curl- and uncurled her raised hand. "Qué? Are you sure, _Gabriel_?" She stretched out the last word and you could recognize the threat in it. After all was information power. Secretly you were surprised, no- Almost shocked that Reaper even seemed to have a normal name. It felt weird, absurd- As if he actually used to be a normal person with a face below that apathic mask. Which probably was exactly what Olivia had found out already. You had only noticed his hands forming to fists at the name. 

"Don't. You. _Dare_." Every word came out harsh with the fury to wrap his claws around the hackers neck, you could tell alone by the strain in them.

"I'll give you a minute to think, amigo." 

You felt your jaw drop. Her words were soft and sweet but they couldnt contradict their meaning further than that. She was threatening Reaper. _Reaper_. With a freaking timelimit? How was she in the position to do that?! Was 'Sombra' such a high ranked group that they could defy Talons leaders or was his true identity really that important?  
You began to become desperate with the want to go with her to and ask, to ask so many things of what happened to her. Even more importantly to get away from your captor that was radiating a deadly fury that you didn't want to be part of. Reaper himself seemed to be livid that she was playing him like this and tried to pry his new found prize from his claws. The latter seemed to dig even harder into his palms. The red string that connected you seemed to softly buzz from his anger against your skin. 

"I will remember this, _Sombra_.", he spat with such fury that his demonic voice grinded inside your ears before he whipped around. "This isn't over." He didn't gift you with another glare as he stomped off and vanished noisily around a corner. It took a bit longer until his steps turned silent as well. But the string didn't disappear. What had that been? You had not only seen his obviously pissed mood had _felt_ it, too. Distinct and not more than a suggestion, yet still somehow felt the connection between you. 

"Ignore him. Mr I'm-so-evil has a temper to live up to." 

Given your confusion you lingered for a moment before you turned back to the hispanic woman and shook your head. "I can't believe you would do this."  
"Mh? Ruining his fun?", she quipped with a dangerous smirk on her face and eyes full of false innocence. 

"Organizing your funeral." 

To your surprise she did burst out into laughing but quickly stifled it down and mimicked wiping away a fictional tear. "Ahhh... Everyone is such a stuck up here. I definitely missed this." Quickly her purple eyes scanned you over once more while she clicked a few times with her tongue in amusement. "Come now, let's get somewhere private. I'll already know that the big boss will hold me a speech over that camera again." 

You hadn't realized how close she came until she began literally shoving you forwards by your shoulder, an impish smile on her lips. The sudden touch made you flinch but she ignored that. Olivia still seemed to be very handy but you could tell that it was partly an act- You just weren't sure how much of her behavior was one and how much were genuine.  
"You create holes in the security of a terrorist base and they only hold you a _speech_ for that? Life sure seems hard for you." 

Keeping your tone lower you looked down at the string around your finger while the two of you kept walking. When you looked up again you had reached a hallway that ended in a glass door that was leading outside- Two armed guards included. Still you felt a bit of hope rise inside your chest. Was Olivia just going to shove you all the way from the base? 

"What can I say, I'm a friend of everyone." Despite the angle didn't you miss the wink she shot towards one of the guards. They seemed to not show any reaction but you could tell from a mile away that they were rolling their eyes under that helmet. You couldn't comprehend how they let the two of you simply pass- You hair was probably a wreck and your outfit was anything but their uniform. The hacker must really have a high role here and you almost felt like laughing hysterically that this was so easy now.  
Until you saw that she was directing you towards another building on the complex, no ten meters away. The urge to just stop in your tracks was rising with every step but at the same time did you notice some of the Talon visors trained on the two of you.  
Swallowing the knot in your throat did you let yourself being shoved inside the other building in defeat. Causing a scene would do anything but help your cause. 

If Olivia had noticed anything of your posture that she was good at hiding it; She had just began to trash talk over some of the pawns that worked here.  
"-And that one guy didn't even know what the system command window was! The most trivial thing! _Dios mío_ we live in the 21nd century...!"  
You wanted to smile, yet you knew that her rambling wasn't genuine and only to pass the time of your way. Of course did she have a bit of a knack for rambling but this was different. Not after fifteen years. It left a little bitter feeling in your guts. 

After some set of stairs and surprisingly many Talon soldiers did you reach a room that was indistinguishable from the other doors of the hallway but once Olivia had opened the door your eyes widened a bit at the sight of a room drowning in pink and purple accents and the low light that only came from countless screens scattered along the ground and walls.  
"Hush hush, get in." She urged you inside that you stumbled, then closed the door with several loud clicks. When you turned back to her did you see numerous lock systems had been installed to ensure that that door really stayed shut once it was locked.  
Her purple lips formed to a smirk when she walked around you and dramatically raised her arms. "Now welcome to my hideout, Y/N." 

It was hard to find words in that situation. What was she expecting from you? Was she really that openly about your reunion? Whatever she was thinking, it surely wasn't hard for her to see what you were thinking: A unsure frown on your face.  
"Chica, don't look so blue-" Ha. That was a double joke because the room was tinted in the blue glow of the screens. "-I brought you here because this is the only room that's 100% clean of any wiretaps. Feel free to speak your mind, No- I'm actually starving for it."  
Then she closed the distance quickly to softly tip on your nose, "Boop."  
That action took you by surprise, yet it was something she had also loved to do in the past and you finally felt your feelings swell. 

"Olivia, look I-"  
"I go by the name Sombra now.", she interrupted you and for the first time today could you see a bit of her real sincerity shine through. 

"So you really a part of Sombra?" You didn't know if you should be impressed because of their worldwide legendary hacks or frown that the group was part of Talon. She was part of Talon. However, your words made her smirk again. "Everyone thinks Sombra are a collective but it's just me. It has always been me. I am Sombra."  
"You did these things _alone_?" If that was really the truth she had become even better than she had already been. She had become a god of hacking. It was unbelievable but you knew that she was speaking the truth. So now an even bigger question burned on your tongue. 

"What happened to-... What happened to the girl from fifteen years ago?" The tone in her voice from before made you think that it was better to avoid her real name. 'Sombra' studied you in thought before she wettened her lips. Purple eyes flickered for a second to the side before they focused on you again, they were hardened with an emotion you couldn't quiet place. 

"That girl had made a mistake. She has been replaced." 

"Replaced?", you whisper quietly, worried if she had been hurt or manipulated. She saw your gaze and motioned at her shaved head with the glowing implants and to the rest of her body as if it was normal. "When the hard drive gets old you get upgrades, so upgrades I've got."  
It seemed like you didn't look all that convincing because her tone dropped a little, now quiet but deadly serious. "I had to leave that day. It wasn't safe anymore."

"I... I get it. I knew you left willingly, but-"  
"There's no 'but', Amiga. They had found me and so my old self had to disappear. I don't expect you to forgive me, so-"  
"I do!", You blurted out and the cheekish smile that spread across her face made you blush.  
"I mean, I _would_."  
Her grin grew wider because of your slip up that you had already forgiven her. How could you not, if it was to survive? Still you continued:  
"I _would_ if you'd tell me what you're doing at _Talon_." With these words your had expected her smile to drop instantly off her face but it stayed there as she checked her nails in amusement.  
"Because they're useful to me, Chica. I don't care about Akandes stupid goal, 'Evolution through conflict', pah." Okay, for her to say basically betray Talon with words the room really must to be safe. You eyed her sceptical. 

"Besides, you're the one joining us from Overwatch. How does that make you feel?" 

"How do you-"  
"Seriously? Well I wondered too why Reaper wanted me to identify one specific Overwatch agent that had ruined the mission in ___, but I know how dramatic and stuck up he can be about revenge. And guess how surprised I was when I saw the name of my old friend in the pretty lists they keep. Really, you're a hacker and your bosses know your real name? Did you even _try_ to protect your identity?"

That was a lot to take in. "I-"

"And then I could barely trust my own eyes when I see you a few days later on the cameras waltzing in with Reaper himself in that heli and that little guard that ships you to one of the cells. Y'know, those cells they sometimes _torture_ people in, cariño. Only for your camera to shut off and Reaper leaving the door _open_ and the cell _empty_."

You didn't realize that you had been gaping at her so you quickly shut your mouth and pressed it to a thin line. She had seen everything and she knew everything. Actually, not everything - that was exactly why she was pushing you with her assault of information she held over you. 

"So you had been shocked when you found out that I could turn invisible but you already knew that I was somewhere with him.", you concluded. For some reason could you see for a second guilt flash in her purple eyes before she sighed.  
"No. I knew of your device since you started working on it back in Dorado. After all-", she seemed to stop herself from finishing that sentence with a little shake of her head. It made you wonder what she had wanted to say but she continued before you could pry.  
"What did you expect, Amiga? Even when I theoretically knew that you were around was it still kind of shocking to see your old best friend after a decade suddenly flicker in front of you." 

"That's... Fair. Can you guess how shocked I was, the one that didn't know anything about her sister since the moment she had deleted her existence?"  
Sombras expression softened while she gave you a crooked smile, "Yeah, I saw it." 

There was a moment of silence between you but it didn't feel uncomfortable or pressing, just enjoying the presence of the other in your little reunion. You hadn't expected her to treat you as openly as she did- She had always been someone that mistrusted everyone, even when she hid it below her rambling and affectionate facade, yet you could tell that she was treating you like you had never been separated. It made you smile a little. 

She offered her hand and smiled back, "So, friends?" 

You ignored her hand and stepped forward to hug her.


	15. Chapter 15

Silence filled the room while you thought about your next words and your situation. You had sat down on Olivias messy bed that was stuffed with pillows and enjoyed the soft feeling after the time in that cell. The thin mattress there had the duty to be as soft as the concrete ground and your aching limbs congratulated it's effort. Now your bottom was almost melting with the pleasant cushions.  
Although much more comfortable you still nervously kneaded her blanket between your hands and eyed Oli- Sombra sitting on a beanbag. She checked something with her gloves, the soft tipping on the holobuttons filling the room.

  


With your interaction earlier she had shown that she was mostly on your side- Yet it felt so awkward to ask her what swirled inside your mind...  
So you cleared your throat and the hacker crooked an eyebrow at you. "Sorry, you were saying?"  
The words were in your head but you contemplated them for another second before answering hesitantly. "Would you... Help me to get away from Talon?"  
Sombra had spoken so loud and carelessly before but you couldn't help but unconsciously lower your voice. After all where you in mids of the terror organization. 

"Changed your mind already?", she chuckled amused. You frowned a little. When had you agreed to stay? This place had kept you as prisoner only an hour ago...  
"What do you mean?"  
The brunette studied you for a moment but no ill intention covered her expression, more so curiosity at your words. "We have similar pretty lists like Overwatch with names, although they are a lot harder to access- Not that that could ever stop me." Sombra hummed and swiped through some files on her holoscreen. "I had set up some triggers in case your name would pop up in some of Talons precious files and viola: You've been added to the military training."  
You narrowed your eyes. So he really had done that... "That wasn't my choice."  
"So? Did Reaper sweet talk you into joining then? Because you look horrible but his usual victims are far worse than some messy hair and eyesbags. The bleeding-to-death-kind."  
  
Her words made you chew your lips and look away. Nothing of this was because you wanted it- It was all the strings fault for thinking that you were the partner of that psychopath. What you didn't notice was that your hand had unconsciously wandered to squeeze your shoulder where his bladed claws had cut you earlier. That in return made Sombra narrow her eyes. 

"You didn't answer the question yet, Chica." 

Glancing back at her you weighted your options. You had just made peace with your old childhood friend yet didn't that mean that you felt comfortable telling her everything like back then. Somewhere deep down you still hoped that your bond to the terrorist would vanish, like a fever dream. Maybe if you denied its existence long enough the universe would actually notice its error.  
Anyways, it definitely was way too personal to be the first thing to share with Oli- Sombra. She was back but that didn't mean that you could fully trust her with your heart in the very moment she reappeared. It was something she had to gain again. The same way you would have to work yourself to reestablish the depth of your friendship.  
-And the worst thought in your mind was that she had seem so comfortable with jumping at Reaper, calling him 'Gabe' that she might support fates idea. 

"...I can't tell." It was good that it wasn't even a lie. Your blackmailer had made it clear not to tell anyone about your... arrangement.  
"Yeah, that's the kind of vibe that I'm getting from you but you do realize that I don't care about that, right?"  
"Right..."  
Her eyebrows rose with expectation.  
"Still can't." The blanket between your fingers suddenly became so interesting. 

A few moments passed in silence, the hispanic woman thinking while studying you. Both of you were adults now and she surely knew that it wasn't directly like back then, but that wouldn't stop her from prying. Eventually she clicked her tongue again and got up from her sitting bag.  
"I can't help you anyways, cariño. If Reaper's got business with you then I can't do much about it. Tracking people down is kind of his whole sthick now." Her reply made your jaw tighten. Of course you were disappointed, a bit angry even but your friend was for the moment part of this organization and with that on their side. Betraying their leader at the next first opportunity just because you showed up would have been way too good to be true. 

"Besides, if he got you despite your invisibility then I doubt that you could hide for long.", she said but was more thinking out loud than really stating a fact.  
That he could locate you was only because of the thread that connected you. The same traitorous thread that was vanishing in her wall and showed that your soulmate was still in reach in this very moment. You gripped the sheets harder. "What do you suggest?"  
Sombra stepped closer that she was standing in front of you and you could hardly conceal your betrayed expression. She grinned but her eyes were soft.  
  
"I don't know what your deal contains but you don't seem in danger. Are you in danger?"  
Of fucking losing your mind that you couldn't kick Reapers ass? Maybe.  
"I don't know.", you mumbled moody. 

"Since you're not pleading for your life I take that as no." The sudden urge to hit her rose inside you. 

"Sooo, _I'd say_ you get into the training and play along. It's where I wanted to bring you anyways." Sceptical, you frowned at her. "You withhold the data or whatever he wants as long as it doesn't get you killed. Eventually he should lose his interest. Maybe. Gabe's not really a patient man." For some reason was that very funny for her and she laughed openly. In return were you taken aback how she could so casually call the nightmarish monster a man. He could disappear in smoke. He was brutal. He was a merciless murderer. Then you winced a little as you remembered the two guards you had killed in self defense. You were inside a war a war but that didn't mean you favored violence. 

"This house we're in is for the troops." She gestured at the walls. "They are the only ones knowing each others faces and the rest of the system keeps them pretty anonym- Besides the file with their names on it, but only the higher ones have access to that. So the only problem is your boyfriend, really."   
You visibly convulsed at that nickname and stared at her in shock and anger. Sombras casual banter couldn't have been closer to the truth. It was almost comical how she stepped back at you reaction with her hands raised in defense but you were really pissed. "Hey, hey it was a joke, cariño! No need to stab me with your cute murder face." 

You rolled your eyes, "Flattery will get you nowhere, Sombra. Should I really stay in that program?" Despite not having talked to her in a decade did it feel odd to say her cover name instead of her real one. Like an unusual taste that lingered on the tongue.  
"If he really tracked you down then yes. I heard the little things you did and doubt that you got a well made hiding set-up when you've been under the wing of Overwatch. We have a lot against them."  
The way she said 'little' things that you did somewhat offended your pride as hacker but if she really had done all the Sombra actions on her own than you really weren't comparable to her. That and the fact that you had to stick around your beloved killer was worsening your mood rapidly.  
"Fine. I guess I'll stick around for a while." 

"If you're living here with the soldiers would we live under the same roof again." Sounding like she wanted to reassure you a little you shifted your glance back at her. Softly she smiled at you.  
"Yeah." That sounded almost nice. Almost.  
"But I assume we shouldn't be seen much together?"  
"I'm a bit more loose with everyone like you saw earlier so a few hugs in the open won't hurt." She winked at you. "Though we shouldn't raise the suspicion of being close friends. Talon is a manipulative blackmailing organization and they use every weakness they can against you. I already replaced the footage of the cameras of our meeting in the hallway with Reaper-" Now you could see on her holoscreen some camera perspectives of hallways and rooms that she swiped through with her fingers. "- But we should be overall careful. I can't interact with you much in person but feel free to contact me whenever."

As soon as she mentioned that you realized once more the awful empty feeling of your belongings still missing- Still in possession of Reaper. You had your gloves but the mundane things like your mobile, laptop and even toothbrush had been inside your backpack. You had to confront him with that the next time you'd see him, even if if you weren't looking forward to it.  
Somehow it felt awkward but you summoned with a flick of your finger the familiar screens. In the contrary didn't seem Sombra uncomfortable in the situation at all: She simply caught your screen and turned it, clicked a few things and swiped something from her holo over to yours. It was mirrored for you but you saw that she installed something. 

"The new version of our old chat. Untracked. Unfindable." 

"You do realize that I might have made a new version too?", you challenged her jokingly.  
"Well..." The brunette held her chin as if she was complementing the reason of life before she lightened up. "Mine's better."  
Chuckling you stood up, ignoring the slight burn in your shoulder. You had been hiding at her place for long- It was time to adapt to Talon. A newbie was already suspicious and it wouldn't help if you were missing for long too. You weren't sure if you would really wait until Reaper would lose his interest like she had said- Not knowing how long that would take and how you'd be treated. But you would dive under for now, maybe another opportunity would come in sight. It was also a great chance to retrieve important data from the enemy. 

"Where do I have to go when I'm already signed up for the program?" 

Sombra looked you up and down and mouthed a short 'Wait' before she vanished into a smaller room around the corner. Confused you looked around to see a small bathroom and her hurrying back with a hairbrush. You couldn't help but grin when she had a small fight with the bird nest in your hair and cursed something in Spanish.  
Once she was satisfied she tossed the brush on her bed and patted your cheeks. " _La bella_." 

Hopefully couldn't she see your faint blush in the dim light. 

"Alright, just go downstairs, right then the last door. And say you were sent for the program."  
"Won't they be suspicious?"  
"They would have been suspicious if you came like you just fought a _toro_ \- New people get hired all the time so you'll disappear in the mass, don't worry."  
How could you not worry at her words. Of course new people got hired all the time when the pawns died in the battlefield like ants. You could just hope that you wouldn't be damned to the war all to soon- Especially on the wrong side of it.  
Wait... Actually that could aid your escape... 

"Alright, now hush hush. I've got work to do." With those words she ushered you out of her room, quick to check the cameras of any people of course. You hadn't expected her sudden move and just as quickly found yourself standing in the deserted hallway. "And don't try to go too deep in the system, they are way more advanced than Ow and less forgiveful." Sombra warned.  
You bit your lips but nodded. Then her purple gloved hand suddenly shot forward as she booped you on the nose and closed the door with a wave. 

For a moment you awkwardly stood in front of her room before shaking your head. You quickly filed the door number away in your memory before you made your way down the stairs.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be longer but I thought you would favor a shorter time of wait over the length of it
> 
> Has as always errors no matter how often I reread it xD  
> I'm also working on writing an original story as exercise for 'serious' book-writing which I currently focus the most on

Decending the stairs had you been met once more with a lot of Talon soldiers that roamed the halls. By the looks you had gotten you thought that some would approach you to investigate but to your surprise had you reached the room that Sombra sent you to without any trouble. 

Upon opening the tall doors you had been met with a big hall that turned out to be the training grounds. It was your typical giant athletic hall filled with dummys, small barriers and all kind of sport devices- And epecially with a hell lot of people that thankfully didn't notice you and went about their business on the different tasks available. It was loud from all the voices that were mostly filtered through red visors and the noise of hundreds stepping boots. 

You shifted uncomfortable on your feet and quickly closed the door behind you while your eyes roamed the several smaller scattered groups on the sides. Some soldiers knifed the dummys with various swipes and stabs while others ducked fully armored through an hard light obstacle course. Although what cached your eye were some uniformless people like you that stood lined up in front of a heavy armored Talon commander. The male figure swiped through files on the holopad between his hands while talking to the outsiders. This whole display just seemed to scream the words 'registration' and made you gulp dryly. You suppressed the instinct to turn invisible and hurried over to grace the end of the human-snake with your presence. 

Nervously you listened for the words from the person in charge at the front. The voice filter of the red helmet distorted the words a bit but once a few people where sent off and the line-up shorter you could make them out.   
"Your name."  
You strained your ears for the candidates reply but could only make out a faint female voice which surprised you a little. Leaning to the side you tried to get a better glance at the scenery in front of you, but the sight of an armed guard meeting yours quickly made you step back in line. You felt their gaze burn on you despite the human barrier and hoped you hadn't acted like you were snooping around.   
As you waited you looked down to nervously fidget with your fingers and were surprised to find the red string absent again. Merely the soft tingling sensation on your fingers reminded you of its fleeting presence now. 

Waiting in line wasn't so bad but you couldn't help but being paranoid about the possibility that you might be standing wrong after all. Olivia had been the one back then to do the more 'outgoing' missions that involved acting and playing with the target in person while you always had the more anti-social option to stay undetected. Of course you had still worked from the shadows back then as well as in Overwatch with observing and working on the technical kind of attacks that had been possible from afar. The mission with Pharah and Reinhardt had been your first outside mission in a team after a decade and now you didn't even have a team to fall back on. Needless to say: You didn't feel prepared at all.   
If you would be checking them out and hiding with your device it would be so much easier but no... Reaper had to entertain himself with signing you up for the Talon force. Urgh. 

At least your rambling had distracted you from the wait and before you knew it disappeared the man in front of you to the side, revealing the Talon commander with the holopad in front of you. You had unconsciously moved along the line without even noticing its shrinking size and were quiet shocked that it suddenly was your turn. 

"Your name." They sounded annoyed but if you had to repeat the same questions all day you would surely be too. 

Quickly you gave him your name- Your real name because there wasn't really another that you used and because Oli- Sombra had already spotted that one in the system. The only acknowledgment was a swipe of their glove as he scrolled his files and tapped onto one. Typically was your own name something that you could even notice when mirrored and so you saw that he had found yours.   
"Name of profession."   
"Technician.", you replied more in reflex than anything and tightened your jaw. Dammit, that might haven't been the best idea to spill... Hopefully he only meant what you had learned and not which military position you wanted to specialize in. A weird answer would be suspicious.  
In the end he just continued so it probably had been fine. One of the guards held up a small recording device that he started. It irritated you a little although you knew what was about to come.   
The commander stated nonchalantly, "The contract states that upon entering the Talon organization and the military force you understood and agree to the terms and especially the paragraphs 14 to 62 as well as the commitment to face degradation if the pledge to secrecy is broken. Repeat 'I agree'."  
You forced yourself not to frown. Degradation? He meant _termination_.   
"I agree."

The guard stopped the record and with a few clicks on his pad saved the sweet meaningless contract to the others.   
The taller man took a deep uncaring breath as he went on with his distorted voice: "Your skills have been evaluated and categorized you to GME-8, the general military education for support employee. Don't forget your group designation and take the 4th door to your left." He pointed to the doors, then waved you off. 

"Next."

Such a friendly hint wasn't dropped every day and so you quickly made yourself scarce and walked in the direction he had shown. There were various uniformed people scattered around but you made your way towards the door- Even if uncomfortable and less than willingly. You also realized that you had the urge to take off your gloves and hide them. It left you more or less defenseless (since your flick blade was still missing) but you felt the distinct worry that someone might take them from you for no reason. As you reached the door you turned the old fashioned handle and slipped inside. 

The training grounds had smelt faint after plastic, sweat and rubber but the odor that met you in this area was on a whole other level. You scrunched your nose at the smell of burnt plastic and new fabriced items and examined the long room in front of you. It was almost more like a hallway and you could see an omnic standing on a counter on the side. Given that this was the room you were supposed to enter you walked over to the counter, only to be surprised that the space behind it was a much larger room that resembled a storage. There were a lot of items that belonged into a sport club, as well as numerous weapons and packed up outfits. That explained the smell. 

"Hello. Did you damage your uniform or are you new?"   
The female robotic voice surprised you a little and you focused your eyes on the various lights on the omnics face. "I'm new."   
"Welcome.", she chirped friendly, "Please give me your sizes."   
You did as told and honestly had to think shortly about some of them. You weren't really one to go shopping, rather just ordered a little larger size online.   
With all the information she wanted the omnic began to haul numerous items on the counter. They all were wrapped in plastic bags but you could make out the typical Talon logo on some armor and apparently the stuff they wore below that. She swiftly added pants, boots and more items of which one seemed to be a lighter armored outfit. Curiously you leaned closer. 

Eventually she finished the pile with a Talon helmet that wasn't wrapped up like the other items. "Please try this one on."   
You weren't thrilled to put on the red visor that you had begun to hate but did so without complaining. It seemed a little big and she quickly replaced it with another that was a better fit. Then she packed all the items in a bag with the determination of a fashion store seller and shoved towards you on the counter. "If anything misfits feel free to return. The changing rooms are next to this room and connected to the training hall as well as the showers and bordering hallway on the other side." Alas you could reach it from both sides.   
But that still left you a bit uncertain. "Am I supposed to try everything on or is my group waiting?" Honestly it felt a bit stupid to ask but how should you know? You hadn't hacked into the schedules and set-up yet...   
"My apologies, which group are you?"   
"GME-8" You fought to leave a question mark behind your words.  
She hummed in thought which seemed a bit too human for an omnic. "They meet in an hour in the hall near the dummys. You will be wearing the lighter armor set. Until then I would like to know if all the pieces fit."   
Nodding you carefully grabbed the bag with both arms, the plastic crunching loud against your chest. The armored boots were heavier than expected and you made things easier by just slipping on the helmet again. Omnics didn't have the features to mimic expressions yet you could still somewhat tell that she seemed amused. 

Since the changing room was connected to both sides you decided to leave through the door opposite to the big hall, not wanting to attract stares with your heavy load. Out of the door you simply walked to the next one that showed it was for men and the next door that indicated the woman symbol.   
When you opened the door you were disappointed to be met with several other women that changed their clothes into the black red uniforms. At least weren't they wearing the helmet yet, probably have tried them with the omnic before. Still did you feel uncomfortable at the thought of changing in front of these strangers even when they most likely didn't care about you. Quickly you claimed one of the corners of the room and dumped your crunching bag on the wodden bank. You winced at the sound and the thought of unwrapping all the items with this loud noise. They most likely had done the same before, the women who were new at least, but you felt like it would draw the attention of everyone at you much like megaphone. Lingering in your spot and pretending to investigate your helmet you managed that two of the women left the room when they were done with their outfits, but quickly dismissed your win when three new ones from the training hall joined their place. Here goes nothing. 

Sighing you ripped the wrapper from the clothing and stuffed it in the full garbage can with swift movements, eager to finish this obnoxious loud task as quick as possible. To your dismay did you really earn the attention of a few people but they just frowned at the loud sound and continued changing their clothes. The fast movements had reminded you once more of the burning cuts in your shoulder from Reapers claws and it seemed almost comical now that your heart was beating high in your throat- Only because of drawing the attention of a few strangers. In the last few days you had been multiple times attacked, grabbed and pinned by one of Talons dangerous leaders and here you were with your anti-social attitude railing you up. Hilarious. 

In the end, all the pieces fit your body snugly and secure so you didn't gifted the female omnic with another visit. There were only ten minutes left to the meeting of your group and so you kept on the lighter armor set you were supposed to wear. The other pieces vanished back inside your bag (your precious gloves included at the very bottom) and were stored in one of the basic lockers in the room. 

You weren't sure if you were supposed to wear the helmet- Almost everyone had worn it in the hall, yet they all also had rocked the heavy armor version instead of the more casual one.   
Since you weren't entirely sure you cradled the helmet below your arm and debated on whether or not to go to the dummys right away. The changing room was getting fuller with the time nearing the full hour but the hall would have even more in comparison. Eventually was your nervous fidgeting enough to earn yourself a few stares and you decided to abandon the ship and hurry towards the meeting point. To your relief were a few people waiting here and a few of them held their helmets like you. Most of them seemed unsure if to wear them or not but one of them joked that they were only holding it because it was getting quickly very moist inside- To which everyone chuckled a little. 

Even here you noticed the typical pattern of a few people sticking closer together than others and coming in little groups, very similar to your faint memories of school before it had been blown up in the war. One of those smaller groups of males had one which seemed particularly surprised to see you. He was dark skinned with black hair and pierced ears and openly knit his brows in confusion at your form. You on the other side watched him from the corner of your eye and pretended to not notice- Whoever he was he didn't strike a memory in you and his acting was better left uncommented if you wanted to keep a low profile. 

After a few more minutes and more people joining the circle you unconsciously had formed did your trainer arrive.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year everyoneee

The time in the hall passed quicker than you had expected. 

The leader of your group had introduced himself as trainer and contact person in case of any problems within the organization during your education. Without much sugar coating had he explained that he was only there to teach you the basic knowledge of fighting with all Talon standard procedures, drills as well as assisting in small missions and wasn't going to hold your hand at every little thing. Then he had chased you to the various sport devices to test your skills and fitness. In his hand he always held a holopad to document each person. He seemed distant and strict and you were supposed to just call him 'Commander' or 'Commander of GME-8' for identifying purposes. 

Even though you dreaded sport as a more in-door person had it been fun- Or at least it would have been fun if you hadn't been so exhausted from your days in that dark cell.  
You would have liked to see what your limits were, how far you could jump, how much you could climb a rope but you really hadn't been in the best condition. The cuts on your throat hurt whenever you panted and you were reminded at the bruise on your shoulder with its movement. Your arm wasn't that bad cause you didn't do much with it, but it hurt whenever you flexed your muscles. Overall were you exhausted, tired and kind of feeling sick.  
The Commander had strictly kept you going until you couldn't deliver any useful results anymore. By that point you were a panting sweaty mess and ready to pass out on the cool floor. Never did he ask what your problem was, only added things to your file and eventually sent you to the side to watch. 

He probably knew that you had been hours ago still a prisoner but had pushed you anyways. _Asshole._

The rest of the skill check you had remained on a bench near by and lethargy watched the others of your program. It reminded you a lot of the old PE lessons in school before the war had wiped out your old normal life and most the citys infrastructure.  
While watching you were glad with more people in your group working desk jobs that a few were close to your miserable results. It was somewhat satisfying. 

Apparently had Talon a policy that even the people that weren't directly involved in the fights and worked as technicians, nurses or even janitors, had to be able to defend themselves. In case of an attack on the base was everyone expected to help terminating the threat instead of being a useless bundle of flesh that people could use to get on information. That's what your group of 'General Millitary Education for Supports' was for, although some would continue in more training to work as healers. 

Which this one guy turned out to be. 

The one that had given you odd looks was somewhat of a permanent part of this group to assist the commander. His name was Zaire and you were told that he was the one in charge whenever the boss was absent. He was your other contact person and would deliver messages to the Commander, but was mostly just the person to ask in case you had a problem. Zaire introduced himself as a medical support and co-pilot and that he was functioning as doctor in case of any injuries.  
This pretty much ruined your plan to avoid him. 

After three hours in the training grounds your group was absolutely drained.  
The commander had wrapped the informational part of your day up: Apparently new people joined all the time so some speeches would have to be repeated but overall was your program a big cycle. Anyone could join at any time where as your education would be finished after you reached the subject of your first day again.  
You were given schedules of training, lessons and other basic times like lunch. They were not given over the data you registered yourself with but were sent to your 'accounts' in an app that you should install on your mobile and holo devices. 

Everyone got their mobile/tablet from the lockers to note down their registration data and you felt awkwardly embarrassed when you had to ask for a pen to write it on your palm. Even though the commander wore a red helmet could you feel the irritation radiating from him. Most of the others just laughed exhausted. 

Well, what else were you supposed to do when all your personal items were still missing with your backpack? No way you would reveal the advanced and completely omni-functional technology of your gloves. Especially _not_ to _Talon._

You probably could have just asked Olivia for your account information instead of further irritating your boss. (And you really needed to adapt to her new Sombra name if you wanted to live...) 

Despite this Zaire guy being something like the second person in charge did you want to do as less as possible with him. His suspicious act had been upsetting you. He knew something.  
But of course was he given the task to run the tour with the newcomers, explaining the schedules and show your rooms while the commander retreated. 

After everyone took a quick shower, Zaire showed your group around and explained that only in this building you were allowed to keep your helmet off. Later on the final jobs you wouldn't wear them at all, only light armor, but it was to keep your anonymity within the organization. For now you were faceless nameless Talon trainees that lived within this building.  
He started the tour at the female omnic in charge of the supplies of the lower ranks. If you got any problems with your outfits or wanted to lend some specific equipment for exercising you could go to 'Thami'- her. 

For a bit you wandered through the surprisingly huge building to learn the place. There was a weaponry, cafeteria, halls for meetings and briefing rooms. You thought you would feel too drained and hurt to really care but that wasn't the case at all. It kind of surprised you that this was all only for the low ranked pawns. You knew Talon had a ton of money but this was almost a bit absurd. 

The tour ended with Zaire showing you more bath- and cleaning rooms and a few more floors, then he started to assign people to their rooms. To be fair, he was just reading them off a list and sent them their way. 

Everyone so far was sent to a room of four people and you were certain that he was saving you the last on purpose. You tried not to grimace and clutched the helm tight in your hands, ignoring how your hoodie rubbed painfully against your wound with every breath. Somehow it felt worse than before. 

"M-17 and M-13 you have the room 341. There's already a man from another group inside whon you'll be sharing the room with." Zaires accent was heavy but not in a bad way. You wondered if it was African. The two men gave a short wave and headed to the stairs. 

This play had went like this for a while but now you were the last one with Zaire in the weirdly empty hallway. What time was it- 5pm or something? Why was it so goddamn deserted out of sudden? 

You focused on the red visor of your helmet between your hands so you wouldn't shoot the higher ranked male warning glares. He had set it up to have you alone with him and it didn't calm you in the slightest. At least were you exhausted from the workout that your mind wasn't freaking out yet- But that also meant you would have trouble to defend yourself. In your state would probably an old man with clutch be able to overwhelm you.  
You wish that he would just show you which room you were part of to fall into the bed but of course weren't you spared. 

"You didn't strike me as the type to switch to the dark side," He mused and you faintly recognized the humor in it. Although the mention of switching sides made you wary and you frowned a little.  
Undeterred he joked, "I assume you like cookies?"  
Alright, that had caught you off guard. Apparently was your reaction rather funny because he chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't hold it against you." 

You suppressed the need to roll your eyes and to ask what he knew. Instead you tried to keep a neutral expression. "And who are you?" Man, you sounded as tired as you felt. 

"I'm 'friends' with the ones that tend to punch the enemies stomach instead of having a nice chat."  
You felt the need to squint your eyes at that before you heard out the odd detail. Punch stomach instead of-? And then it clicked. 

He had been the pawn on the helicopter with you and Reaper. 

Shit. He knew you were from Overwatch.  
Hell, he had been the one that brought you to the cell. Zaire saw that you connected the dots and smiled apologetic. "I know they can take the worst things to make you do what they want so I hope it isn't that bad for you." He was speaking very quiet now and motioned you to follow him. 

On one hand didn't he really seem that much of an evil terrorist. But on the other he hadn't given you much reason to trust him yet, except for not spilling that you were from Ow. Overall was he your higher ranked guide so you didn't have much choice anyways. 

You slowly followed him up the stairs (totally not cause you were utterly drained) and replied diplomatic, "I'll manage."  
God. How were you going to manage _Reaper_? 

"I see." 

A few people passed your way as you took some flights in silence, surprised that you were going that high. _This was on the level with Sombras room..._  
Zaire lead you into the direction away from hers though and opened a door with a card. He stepped to the side and held it open for you. How nice. Hesitantly you stepped inside.  
You were biting your lips with the thought of him in your back but forced yourself to inspect the room. It surprised you that there was only a single bed and it had more space than you expected. 

"One of the girls said you had some wounds... Could I take a look?" Zaires words made you turn back to him yet you lingered with your reply, still holding the helmet tight against your stomach.  
"Don't worry, I'm on your side. I only want to make sure it won't get infected." 

Well, he had tended to your wound in the helicopter as well, even when Reaper had told him to do so. You weren't happy that he had locked you in that cell but that had been your 'beloved's command too. Sighing you stepped to the side to let him in.  
He closed the door for the sake of your privacy even though you felt nervous being alone with this stranger.  
"I'm just a doc. I won't tell anyone about Overwatch either." He lifted his dark skinned palms almost to show that he was unarmed. 

"And why?"  
"Reaper already knows so it's not my business. Besides, I can relate to not having much of a choice."

Watching him you thought about it. It wasn't like you had much choice working below him either, he was merely asking for you to trust him. Or at least that you won't work against him. 

"So could I see the wounds? I heard one was near your throat, one on the shoulder."  
Huh. Whichever woman had told him that had gotten a good look on you.  
You were glad that you had taken the opportunity to shower after the lesson but you were still uncomfortable with presenting him your new wounds. Leaning your head to the side you pulled down the collar of your hoodie and held back the frown as he stepped closer.  
Zaire gently tapped with two fingers near the claw marks on your throat and you hissed with the dull pain. 

"I think some of your shampoo got in. I'm gonna swipe it with some disinfectant but it will burn like hell. The swell should go down after some hours though." Swell? Just your luck that it had gotten worse. You made a short sound of confirmation, still staring to the blank wall.  
Zaire fumbled inside his bag for the items. He obviously knew what had caused those marks but he didn't mention it. Maybe it was better that way. 

"Did you give me this room?" The question had been nagging your brain and you just had to ask. He didn't seem like he had that much control here but it could be possible.  
"No, the Commander does it. I'm not sure why you got your own."  
The sudden cool touch and burning sensation against your collarbone made you inhale sharply. You crunched your teeth with a grimace. 

"Sorry, it burns."  
"Yeah, kinda noticed that," you snarled back which made him laugh quietly. 

If he wasn't the one who did it you wondered if it really had been the Commander. Did he know you were from Overwatch? Would Reaper be so careless to tell them? Or maybe he was the one who had given you the room. Maybe even Sombra could be responsible for it. You wouldn't have minded to share a room again- In your opinion was it more suspicious that you were treated differently. You hoped that the others wouldn't find out. 

After a few more painful swipes he threw the cloth in the nearby trashcan and planted a plaster on the wound.  
"It should feel better later on. Trust me it's good that I've taken a look, could have gotten very nasty. I know most women aren't into that." You sighed dramatically but you fought with a small smile. Zaire seemed to notice it too and seemed a bit more relaxed. 

"Alright, now let me see your shoulder." 

In the end he had repeated the same procedure on your shoulder even when it hadn't been as bad as your throat. You didn't show him where you had been grabbed on the arm since it wasn't as bad as the other ones and more a scratch in comparison. Can't reveal all your owies in the first visit to the doctor, right? 

Zaire left with a simple 'See you later' and you found yourself alone on the bed with your few belongings in the clothing bag you had been given. 

For a while you just stared at the ceiling and let your thoughts wander. When you had woken up today you had still been in that dark cell as Talons prisoner. As Reaper's toy. You weren't in that clammy room anymore but the latter still hadn't changed much. In your stomach formed a coil of tension at the thought of him appearing at any moment now, his mask that would stare so... It was still so laughable that he wanted to try being soul mates.  
It was also horrifying. 

Two times you had been already patched up from his rough handling and if you had your way you wouldn't see him ever again. That wasn't an option yet though and you frowned when you remembered that he _still_ had your backpack. Hopefully he didn't just throw it away.  
Blindly you reached down in the clothing bag for your gloves and felt the familiar wiring beneath thin cloth. There was still this app you had to install and register yourself with with the codes. Still lying on your back you strapped one glove on and gave your room a quick glance. You let your hand roam around in a circle with the intend to hack any object but it only reacted to the lamps and electrical outputs.  
_No cameras then, good._

Knowing that you weren't being watched, you summoned your familiar holo screens. You went to download the app, that was funnily just tarned as some business thing, and noticed the sign on your special chat. With a tap in the air you opened up your inbox to see that Sombra had written you a bit ago. 

" _are you already inviting boys to your room, chica? it's only been a few hours!!"_  
Rolling your eyes you tipped your reply. " _you know it's not like that"_

A pop-up informed you that the installation was finished and you swiped to open up the app. Yeah, it didn't seem Talon-ish at all, in green and white colors and you entered the data from your palm for the log-in. It loaded and you saw that Sombra wrote again. 

" _good  
because as your sister-in-law I would have to approve of him first  
they need to be good enough to be allowed to touch my bebé_" 

Since when did she become so possessive again? She might have seen you that day on the mission already but for you was she only 'existing' since today again. You cringed inwardly at the thought that she might approve of Reaper. Fucking _Reaper_. The way she had run to tackle him... 

" _did you know that I would be the same floor as you?_ " Distraction was always the best option.  
" _maybe, maybe not,_ " She replied ominously. She probably hadn't but wanted to keep her all knowing image. 

For a while she seemed to type. Then erase the text again. You stared at your screen as she began to type again and you swiped over to the other app to see that it had been loaded. There was a timetable of your schedule. Most were group activities but you could see a few things that were marked as your own workout sessions in the training grounds. They expected you to exercise alone at least half an hour a day.  
The little note in one corner made you groan: 'To be raised within weeks.'  
Oh god. You would definitely die here. If it wasn't by Reaper then all the exercise that would be coming up. You were just a hacker behind a screen! Urgh...  
Tabbing back into the chat you were surprised to find only a short message after the time Sombra had taken to write it. 

" _today I can't, but another time we could hang out in my room and watch a movie while I work"  
"if you want"_

A look out your window showed you that the sky was beginning to darken in a soft shade of violet. Today had been much. Such an exhausting day, but that little message. That brightened it up by a lot. 

" _you didn't have to wait for me to be kidnapped to hang out"  
"nobody's perfect, carino_" A gif of a man winking awkwardly was send. You chuckled quietly. 

" _so how about it?"_

_"sure, I would love to"_

Your eyes wandered from the holo back to the ceiling. Couldn't help but wonder if Overwatch ever got your distress message.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks Karliah, Love_of_Fandoms, Nathrezim and ShakingBacon02 for the comments!
> 
> Somehow I really enjoy writing the world around this fic and the people. I'm happy to see that people enjoy reading that

You woke up to the harsh sound of the alarm bell that rang in the whole building. With squinted eyes and a flick of your glove you summoned a holo screen to be met once again with the ungodly hour of 5am. This was going since three days and you weren't sure how longer you would keep your sanity. 

To your surprise hadn't Reaper come on the next day.  
Or the day after that.  
The days of training with Talon passed as if it was what you had been doing all along. 

You didn't mind that Reaper didn't came. In fact, you were glad that he wasn’t showing up. On the other hand was he the only reason you were stuck here in the first place, which kind of pissed you off. Yet you weren't sure how would you react if the moment of his return came, he was still frightening you. Overwatch hadn't replied to the message you had sent on the day of your capture either which was just plain out suspicious. You had checked if it really had been sent but everything seemed fine on your end.  
With a grunt you grabbed a pair of socks and undies, thankful that you were able to wash here. 

Sombra didn't know what kind of connection you and Reaper had so you had avoided asking her about his absence. With the program you were forced to stay around and he definitely knew where to find you- Once all high and mighty found it in his time to do so. 

Surprisingly had Talon a few civilian clothes to offer as well, for people that came with nothing from the streets, so Thami explained. You had visited the female omnic a few times for various things like washing your clothes and you got surprisingly well along. It wasn't like you avoided Omnics but you had expected everyone at Talon to be more... Evil. They were definitely strict and you spotted some assholes here and there, but why not everyone was a sadistic bastard was a mystery to you. 

The shrill ring of the alarm kept you company while you changed your clothes. Every second you sweared it would be your last to endure that horrible sound but time passed ignoring you. It finally stopped when you were fixing your shoes. With a thankful grunt you threw the two armored outfits into the large bag you had been given on your first day. Since your own bag was still missing you made good use of this one and to be fair was it enough for carrying things from A to B. 

With a fresh casual outfit on you you grabbed your gloves again and pulled one over while the other landed in the bag.  
5:11 AM. Somehow you had hoped that more time had passed.  
Well, this was no use. Sighing you threw the bag over your shoulder- Which was heavier than one might think with the armor- And left your room. A quick hover with your card over the door mechanism was enough to lock it and so you made your way to the stairs. 

Surprisingly was this one of the busiest times in the building, pawns leaving the shared rooms in masses in response of the waking alarm. Many didn't wear their anonym outfit yet but you knew that that would change in the training grounds. Most of the people were on their way to there- Those who skipped breakfast at least. Many others were going to their shifts to switch with the ones that worked over night while others would gather outside at the helicopters for missions. 

In the crowded hallways you always felt like you were standing out and that someone in the masses would pick you out as outsider, approach and identify you as enemy. It was absurd thinking that any of the pawns here would have such information, especially about you as individual but that didn't calm your beating heart.  
The amount of people here and in the cafeteria made you feel sick, you didn't like to be among so many people. So you followed the stream of people that skipped breakfast and went to the lowest level and changing rooms immediately. 

Many came in the uniform they practiced in right away and while you were uncomfortable changing under people you hadn't used that option. Because despite your shame you preferred to use the showers here after the training instead of venturing to the higher levels in your sweaty armor. Down here you were also able to throw it in the giant washing machines instead of carrying it to your room first, but that was a topic for later.  
For now you would need to get into your armor before spending thoughts on how to get rid of that dreadful fashion later. 

There was roughly an hour before your training would start and you were advised to use that time wisely. You changed into the lighter armor set despite the feeling of being stared at even when everyone were all too busy with themselves. Their chatter drowned the full room. There were always new rumors to talk about and even when you hadn't expected Talons pawns to be behaving like gossiping teenagers were they exactly like that. At least when no higher ranked was around. Maybe it was one of the things that made us human. 

A weird feeling washed over you and it gathered oddly in your stomach. You first thought was that it might be the feeling of someone watching you after all, though a quick glance showed that none of the other women had stared. You rubbed your stomach through the light armor. It was meant to be soothing though the coil began to form to a tingle which wasn't unpleasant. The itch spread across your skin, running down your arms. And then you almost groaned as the puzzle solved itself: The horrible red string appeared back around your small finger, vanishing into the wall. 

Shit. So he's back now. 

The hand with the string dove into your bag while you took another careful glance around the room. Some left the cabin to the hall but nobody seemed to notice the glowing read thread that was so painful obvious to you. Was he in the hall or just nearby the building? You didn't really know the layout yet, although he should be smart enough to not speak to you in public. It offered you a bit of safety from him. Or so you hoped.

Silently you tried to finish changing into the armor and to concentrate on the voices of the girls around you but it wasn't helping that much. You already were nervous around the people but the unknown about Reaper only added to that. Quietly you cursed your sweating hands. 

Two had just left the room but you saw them suddenly rushing back inside, leaning against the heavy door that shut behind them. The one who didn't wear a helmet looked pale and stared at the other they had come back with. That didn't seem good. The rest of the room was too loud to have even noticed it. Only when another woman turned towards the exit she saw them blocking the door. 

"Move?" She asked more than really commanding them.  
The one without helmet looked for a moment surprised before she quickly stepped to the side. She said something but you couldn't hear it over all the talking.  
Then there was a shout and slowly the others in the room shifted their attention to the ones near the door to listen to the ruckus. It became quieter in waves but never fully. 

"We swear, he's here!" 

"Who's here?" A single voice asked, belonging to a well trained woman.  
The woman turned to where she had heard the question and whispered with a troubled expression: "Reaper!" 

The silence only lasted for a second. His name was all it took to create chaos in the room. You flinched at the sudden rising voices that tried to shout over each other. "Really?!" "But is he even-" "You saw him?!" "-Only to the lower ranks-" "Maybe an inspection?!" "-Can't be!" "She should have skipped breakfast!" "I won't believe it until I see it!"  
A pawn who was half in her combat pants and bra hurried to the door and stuck her head out. Immediately she gained a few followers that stacked behind her to catch a glimpse as well. After a moment she retreated back inside and looked into an expecting crowd. "He- He's really there!" 

In the corner you were rolling your eyes. You could have confirmed that too. It brought another swell of shouts forward. "Reaper!?" "Oh my God!" "I have to see it!" "What is he doing??!" "He's just standing there- I think!" "That's so scary!" "But why??!" "Will he watch us?" "Maybe a problem?"  
"If we're too bad he kills us!" The last one only agitated them more.  
"-same side!" "-you stupid?!" "-No business here!" "Are you seriously scared?" "Boo!"  
Urghhh... You we're getting a headache. This wasn't just some popular boy but a killing machine they were making a fuss over.

More women fought at the door to spy until it was suddenly ripped wide open. The startled soldiers quickly scrambled backwards into the room as one of the fully armored group leaders appeared. "What is this childish behavior?! You will all run 20 leaps outside, NOW!!" 

Most shuffled backwards like they were slapped in the face and hastily reached for the rest of their outfits to finish changing. Others who were already dressed squeezed past the leader with their heads down to run towards the track. One of them was suddenly grabbed at the neck by the imposing man, shocking a few of you.  
"What was that?!" He barked into her ear.  
"Yes, Sir!" Everyone yelled loudly in reflex and the woman was released. You felt bad for her but she quickly ran away with the others. God knew Reaper liked doing the same thing to you and it set a coil of discomfort in your stomach. Maybe you weren't so save after all.

"You! You're finished, 20 leaps now!" His voice was sharp and loud like a gunshot and it wasn't any better that it was directed at you. Startled you grabbed your helmet and jogged out of the room with more pawns. You pulled the visor over and were a bit annoyed with yourself that you had grabbed it in reflex. Kind of for more protection of the officer and your heart.  
In the hall you avoided looking to where the string was leading to and you saw the other women do the same, most likely in shame. Or maybe because that group leader was still barking at the others behind you. You were glad that it hadn't been yours. 

Still so early in the morning it was cold outside. Dreadful you stared at the big running track in front of the building. The sun was still low on the horizon and it was foggy which at least added a bit of ambiance to your boring task. With the pawns on your side you began jogging along the red path, though you were soon splitted with your speed preferences.  
When you ran half of the huge loop you knew you were already sick of it. It was also making you nervous to run back into the direction the string was showing you, just to take a turn away to repeat the whole thing. A part of you expected Reaper to leave the hall to watch you, mocking you and the other soldiers who were punished because of him. Thankfully he seemed to stay where he was.

After 7 leaps you felt like every shaking step would be your last one. Your throat was dry and the cool morning air filtered through your Talon helmet burned inside your throat.  
After 11 leaps you were called in with the others for the start of your training. Thank God for that because you really couldn't have done any more. The muscles in your legs were twitching and making your walk shaky.  
As you walked towards the hall you took a glance at the others that were coming down from the track and almost cringed when most of them seemed unaffected from the running. Either your condition really really sucked or they were advanced soldiers. Probably both was true. 

Back inside was the air warmer and you looked for your group. During that you couldn't help but spot Mr Edgelord in all his leatherly glory leaned against one of the walls with crossed arms. His skull mask seemed directed right at you which sent electricity across your skin. Quickly you looked away and silently thanked yourself for wearing the helmet. You became more clear of the fact that you really didn't want to speak to him.

"Hey, over here!" 

You turned to the familiar voice and spotted Zaire waving you over. Okay, he was easy to recognize because of his outfit that differed from others as medic, plus he wasn't wearing his helmet. But how the hell did he recognized you in that classic soldier wear?? Shaking your head you shakily walked over, silently cursing that Reaper had his spot near your group. 

Your teammates made space for you to join the circle next to Zaire. Everyone seemed nervous.  
"You're late, F-7."  
That was you. If you had the strength you would have flinched to the harsh filtered voice of your Commander. His posture was stiff. He was most likely stressed of the presence of one of Talons leaders. Especially when you felt him staring at your troop. 

An elbow found its way in your side. "I'm sorry, Sir!" Fuck, that hurt. 

The Commander gave a sound of acknowledgment and typed something on his holo board. "You can continue your disciplinary action after the lesson."  
That hadn't been an offer but a command. Fuck. Your hands were balled to fists, itching near the string. You tried to not sound as pissed as you were. "Yes, Sir." 

All the while Reapers stare was drilling inside your neck. 

You weren't sure if you heard a faint chuckle or just imagined it.


End file.
